When Graeme Met Lucy
by CSHayden
Summary: Brooklyn's son, Graeme and Leo's daughter, Lucy meet over the Internet. How were they to know that they were both gargoyles?
1. Default Chapter

**When Graeme Met Lucy?**

A TGS-based story

By C.S. Hayden

Characters from the "Gargoyles" show are the property of Disney and Buena Vista Television. All other characters are from The Gargoyles Saga fanfiction series.

**_Previously..._****__**

****

**From TGS: "When The Bough Breaks, part 2" --**

**Manhattan -- ****April 5, 1999******

"You just want to get back to your little girlfriend," Ariana teased, sticking her beak out at him and grinning. "Graeme and Lucy, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-"

Graeme curled his lip and growled at his sister. "Lucy's just a kid I know in London, gigglepuss. That's all!"

Lex smiled knowingly. "Hey, Graeme, if you want, you can have the computer when we're done. I've got some reading to do anyway."

"Really?" An eager smile curled around Graeme's beak. "That would be great! Thanks, uncle!"

"Told you!" Arianna crowed. "Graeme's got a girlfriend! Graeme's got a girlfriend!' She danced away as her brother glowered at her with faintly glowing eyes.

Sata clapped her hands sharply twice. "Attend, please!! Ari-_chan_, please do not tease your brother. Would you like him to tease you about your Sailor Senshi penpals from Japan?"

Ariana pouted and idly rubbed the toes of one foot on the ground. "No, Mother." She sighed and glanced at her brother. "_Gomenasai_, Graeme-_kun_."

"_Domo_, Ari-o_neechan_."

"As you very well know, there are many formalities to be observed before we handfast your brother," Sata continued seriously, tapping a talon on her chin, "We will have to employ a suitable go-between and there will, of course, have to be formal introductions to Lucy's family and, naturally, their natal horoscopes absolutely must be compatible and-" she stopped and smiled serenely at the horrified expression on her son's face.

"MOM!!!"

Ariana tried futilely to hold back her own giggles. Lex looked away biting his lip and eyes dancing with amusement.

"Poor Graeme-_kun_," Sata said as she ruffled his thick black hair, "Cannot your unworthy mother have one little joke?"

# # # # #

**From TGS: Pendragon -- "Night of the Weird" **

**The Marter Estate, somewhere outside of ****London****, Spring 2000**

"Caspian?" Griff called across the cavernous dining hall where the younger gargoyles were clearing away the remains of the evening meal. "Have you seen where Brianna has gotten off to? She was talking to Lucy earlier."

The golden unicorn-headed gargoyle looked up from the conversation he was having with Rosalind and a few other of his rookery mates. "Uh, oh," Caspian said with a grin. "Sounds like Lucy's found another victim to watch that Soupy Cyborgs movie with again."

Rosalind narrowed her eyes at him and snorted. "I still say either you or your mother must have enchanted that video tape. At the rate the child watches the thing, the bloody tape should have worn out by now."

Brianna pursed her lips and squinted at the television screen, her many braids slithering like snakes. "An' that one there, which one is that?"

Lucy answered confidently, "That one's Speed Bump." Leo and Una's white lioness of a daughter was sitting besides her on the couch cross-legged with a large bowl of popcorn on her lap.

"Th' really fast one?"

"No, silly, that's Texas Jack." Lucy rolled her golden eyes. "Speed Bump's power is to make himself really, really flat. Graeme likes him because Speed Bump is the clever one that's always building things."

"I dinnae know how ye keep them apart, Lucy, truly I don't," Brianna admitted. "Still, it is an exciting show." She began humming. "An' such a catchy theme song!"

"Yup!" Lucy said, shoving a handful of popcorn in her mouth. "It's aces!!" She offered the bowl to Brianna who helped herself to a few fluffy kernels and ate them in ladylike nibbles. Lucy studied her out of the corner of her eyes for a few minutes before blurting out her next set of questions. "So what do you like most about London so far, Auntie Brianna?"

"Well, since ye've asked so nicely," the Caledonian gargoyle replied thoughtfully, "I like th' music, an' some of th' things on th' television, an' chocolate, an' I rather like you." Brianna tweaked the end of Lucy's leonine nose.

"What?" Griff exclaimed grandly as he stepped into the darkened rumpus room. "Don't I get a mention in there?"

A trill of musical laughter like birdsong answered him. "Don't be silly, Griff. I treasure yuir love far more than chocolate."

"That's rare praise, brother," eagle-headed Michael said as he followed Griff into the room. "I'd make the most of that, if I were you."

"Lucy?" Caspian's voice echoed in the hallway before he popped into the room. "Oh, there you are. Your boyfriend the digestive biscuit is beeping you on the computer again."

"He is NOT my boyfriend," Lucy said as she hopped off the couch. She scowled up at her big brother. "And don't make fun of him. Graeme is a perfectly lovely name."

"OoOoOo!" Caspian widened his eyes and wiggled his fingers as he followed her into the hall. "I'm SO scared!"

There was a sudden muffled thud followed by a loud "Ooomph!!" Caspian groaned.

"I told you!" Rosalind said as she walked past the open doorway, shaking her head. "You don't want to muck about with feline reflexes, Cas. Your little sister is developing one mean gut punch."

"When I catch that little furball, I'll -"

"Cas, you can hardly walk." Her laugh began to fade as they went down the hall. "Serves you right for picking on her, really."

# # # # #

**Part I: First Date**

**Ishimura, 2001 -- The World Gathering**

While their parents gathered to speak of gargoyle alliances, the younger crowd made their own form of diplomacy. Lucy found herself in the company of a young Ishimuran named Midori, a pale green female with double-pronged horns and cropped shocking pink hair who favored jeans to kimonos, and a beaked red-skinned tomboy from Manhattan named Ariana who carried a bo staff around with her. With her snow white fur and golden hair, Lucy imagined that the three of them made quite a colorful sight.

Things were very different in Ishimura than they were in London. Lucy nearly had kittens when Midori steered them directly into the center of town, and even more so when the human townspeople acted as if the three young gargoyles were merely ordinary teenagers. She didn't dare step a toe out of the magic shop back home -- the British public was still uncertain about sharing their streets with gargoyles and gangs of Minions and Vampyres still popped up occasionally. If Lucy hadn't stowed away on the plane, she would have been left behind at the Marter estate with the rest of her rookery for safekeeping. Her parents, Leo and Una, had been furious but by the time she had been discovered, there was no point in sending her back.

Learning that both of her guests loved animated cartoons, Midori suggested a trip to the local cinema. Lucy had seen some anime in her native England but nothing compared to seeing it on the big screen, even if she didn't understand the Japanese dialogue. The artwork and the music left her breathless.

"You're right, Ariana," Lucy commented as they left the theater. "I've never seen anything like it. They're not my Super Cyborgs, but this Sailor Senshi show could really grow on me!"

Ariana giggled. "You sound like my brother. He's obsessed with that show!!"

**"ARI-_CHAN!!!_"******

Ariana narrowed her eyes as she glanced back to see who was bellowing. "Speaking of which, here comes his loudmouth self now."

"Brothers!" Lucy snorted. "You should see what I have to put up with Caspian and Aslan!"

A young green male that could only be Ariana's brother - they looked nearly identical save for color and gender - came up the sidewalk with a teal male with a three-pointed forehead crest and blue-black hair neatly tied back at the nape of his neck. Lucy remembered seeing them earlier with the other young gargoyles gathered in Ishimura before Midori and Ariana had invited her to the movies. Although she had no problems chatting up her own rookery brothers, Lucy found herself being strangely shy around other young males her age. Unconsciously, she took a step behind the other two girls.

"What's up, bro?" Ariana called. "You missed the Sailor Senshi movie."

"Please, like I'd want to see that chick flick." Her brother rolled his eyes. "We've got something better to do. Toshi here," he gestured to his companion, "is organizing a ball game. Are you up for it?"

"Yes, please, Ari-_chan_ -- we would be honored if you and your friends would join us," Toshi said with a slight bow even as he tossed a baseball from hand to hand. "Your brother has been telling me of your stick skills."

"Stick skills?" Lucy asked curiously in spite of herself. "What's that?"

"Yeah, when Ari hits the ball," her brother mimed swinging a stick, "it's yippee-yo-ki-yay and it's outta here!"

Ariana shrugged. "What can I say? It's a talent."

"Wait a min -- 'yippee-yo-ki-yay?'" Lucy's eyes lit up. "Ariana just mentioned it but I wasn't sure if we were talking about the same show -- you really do watch Super Cyborg Assault Armadillos, don't you?"

He answered her with an enthusiastic grin that went from one side of his beak to the other. "Yeah!! Who do you like best?"

"Oh, Texas Jack -- he's absolutely fabulous!"

"Speed Bump for me. I'll take brains over brawn any day."

"Really?" Lucy blinked. "But what about speed and cunning? I was on the SCAA forum the other day and --"

"You go there too?" His eyes lit up. "Cool! What's your screen name?"

"Lucylion -- it's not very original, I know." She gave a little self-conscious shrug. "Anyway, I was on-line the other day and --" In mid-sentence, she realized that her fellow Super Cyborg enthusiast had become strangely silent. She looked at him curiously. "What?"

Ariana's brother was staring at her with his mouth ajar, hardly breathing. He swallowed painfully. "Lucy?"

"Yes?" She raised a brow ridge cautiously.

"Lucy from London, lives with her parents and a little brother? Has an older brother that's married and he's a bit of a twonk?" He pointed at her tunic. "You wear that dress because you think it makes you look like Posh Spice."

The fur on the back of Lucy's neck stood on end. She'd always been the tomboy of her rookery so she'd never told anyone how much she admired the stylish pop singer except for one person. "H-how do you know that?"

"I'm Greenbeak." He managed a nervous smile. "It's me, Lucy -- Graeme. What is it Caspian likes to call me -- digestive biscuit?"

Lucy put both fists to her mouth and screamed, oblivious to the startled looks from the others. Staring wide-eyed at him over her knuckles, her heart pounded in her ears. Not once in all the time she'd been chatting on the Internet had she ever imagined this. Graeme's only personal comments had been that he was part Japanese and that he had a twin sister, not that he was a green-skinned gargoyle with a beak. Likewise, she'd only replied that she was blonde and had two brothers. Species had never come into it at all.

"Hey!" Ariana broke the spell as she stepped between them with a scowl. "Graeme, you _baka_ -- what on earth did you say to her?"

"Ari-_chan_," Graeme said carefully, "this is Lucy."

Ariana rolled her eyes. "Duh! I know that."

"No..." Graeme shook his head. "**_MY_** Lucy."

"You're kidding!" Ariana drawled out, excitement growing on her face. "No way!" She glanced at their stunned expressions and grinned wickedly. "_Jalapeña!_ Wait till Mom hears about this!" Playfully, she punched her brother in the arm. "You've been chatting with her for what, two years now, _oniisan_, and you never wondered what she was doing up in the wee hours of the morning?"

Graeme started to smile sheepishly and ruffled the back of his hair. He looked so shy and sweet and adorable -- just the way she'd always pictured him -- that Lucy couldn't help herself. She threw her arms around him impulsively and hugged him tight.

"Graeme!! All this time - you've been a gargoyle like me!!"

Gingerly, Graeme returned her hug. "W-what's the odds of that, eh?"

"A million to one!" Lucy grinned as she stepped back, practically bouncing on her toes. "Oh, Graeme! I never imagined!"

"Me neither!" His voice cracked and he ducked his head self-consciously.

Lucy continued excitedly. "I thought you were a human boy!"

"You never said anything that made me think you were--" Graeme threw out his hands, gesturing at her. "-- I mean, look at you!" He grinned. "Fur and feathers and freckles and all!"

"Look at me?" Lucy laughed and tweaked his beak. "Look at yourself! I thought your screen name meant you kept parrots or something!"

Graeme blushed sheepishly, his green cheeks turning a reddish-brown.

# # # # #

Watching the spectacle from the sidelines, Ariana shook her head and said to Toshi and Midori in Japanese, "We might as well go ahead and play ball without them. Those two are off in their own little world now."

Midori blinked her lovely almond-shaped eyes and murmured politely, "Do I understand correctly, Ari-_chan_? Lucy and Graeme met over the Internet but never really knew that they were gargoyles?"

"That's right!" Ariana laughed. "Come along, and I'll tell you the whole story." She smirked over her shoulder as she and the others walked away.

Graeme barely noticed. He was still too stunned to do anything but stare at Lucy. His chest felt unbearably tight -- he never dreamed that he'd ever meet Lucy in person, much less expect her to one of his own kind. A thousand questions crossed his mind. "How did you get here?" he stammered numbly. "I mean, London is a long way from here, and?"

"I snuck on board the plane," Lucy admittedly guiltily. "Michael, he's our clan leader, he had my parents come along as delegates and I really, really wanted to go. They had to take their time getting Kylie -- she's the elder from the Caledonian clan in Scotland -- aboard so while they were busy, I slipped in. By the time they found me, it was too late to turn back." She grinned breathlessly. "What about you?"

"That's easy," Graeme answered, "my mother, Sata, is originally from Ishimura. She's wanted to visit for ages so when we had the chance to come, we took it. Ariana and I are the only two kids our age in Manhattan so this is one of the few times that we get to meet gargoyles our own ages."

"I've got eight in my rookery and two brothers besides!" Lucy snorted. "I was glad to get away!"

She smiled and Graeme found himself staring at her again. He'd always had a mental image of Lucy in his head but he was slowly replacing human features with smooth white fur lightly dappled with tan spots, wide golden eyes rimmed with green, and fluffy feathered wings. She was just as friendly in person as she had been online and much, much prettier than he'd ever thought possible.

"Graeme?" Lucy waved a hand in front of his face. "Are you all right? You're lagging."

He laughed at her joke. "Oh, my mind goes in all directions, you know that."

"Yeah." Lucy looked around. "The others have gone on without us, I think. Do you suppose we should catch them up?"

"Huh? Oh, right -- baseball." Graeme rocked back and forth on his toes. "We don't have to play baseball if you don't want to." He cocked his head towards a noisy storefront. "The arcade's open until midnight."

"Really?" She looked past him curiously. "They'd let us in?"

"Of course," he answered, sticking his hand in his pocket and coming out with a folded wad of bills. "I've got cash and they've got a two-player Super Cyborg game with our names on it." He tilted his head and waggled his brow ridges at her. "C'mon? you know you wanna?"

Lucy cast her eyes away shyly for a few moments and then grinned. "All right then."

# # # # #

"Toshi is sulking," Midori giggled as she and Ariana walked back into the main compound. "He was counting on Graeme playing shortstop but your brother never showed. Where do you suppose he and Lucy went?"

"Who knows?" Ariana snickered back. "Knowing Graeme, they probably went off to play video games. He and Lucy do that online for hours if they can get away with it."

Midori jumped up on a stone bench to look around. "I don't see them here," she reported. "But, look! There's your mother -- should we say hello?"

Smirking a little at the wistful hero worship in her new friend's voice, Ariana replied. "Sure, why not?" The majority of the Ishimura clan held Sata in awe. When the Phoenix Gate had whisked her and Brooklyn away in the twelfth century, Sata had become a _kami_or ancestor spirit of the clan. To have her walking and talking among them was like a legend brought to life.

Sata was waiting in the courtyard with Sakaki, the butter yellow mate of the Ishimuran leader, and an English gargoyle that resembled a white unicorn. The adult females were anxiously counting heads as the juvenile gargoyles made their way inside to take their early morning meal. Sata called out as soon as Ariana was within earshot.

"Ari-_chan_! Is your brother with you?"

"No, Mother," Ariana answered with an impudent grin. "Graeme's off with his girrrrrrrrrrrrlfriend."

"Ariana, really!" Sata regarded her daughter sternly. "You are so like your father sometimes. You know very well that--" The jade green gargoyle stopped in mid-sentence and stared over Ariana's head. "What is this?"

Graeme and Lucy were coming up the path from the ornamental gardens, chattering away animatedly. He said something that made Lucy laugh and she stumbled into him as she giggled, resting her cheek against his shoulder for a moment. Ariana bit her lip as she took in her mother's stunned expression. As Brooklyn succinctly put it, it took something of world-shaking proportions to surprise Sata.

"Graeme-_kun_!" Sata said sharply in Japanese. "Where have you been? Your sister has been back for some time. And who is your friend?"

The English gargoyle was also staring at the young couple with a similarly dumbfounded look. "Lucy! There you are!" She turned and called into the nearby building. "Leo! Never mind! Our girl turned up out here."

"Lucy? Her name is Lucy?" Sata regarded the unicorn-headed gargoyle with wide almond-shaped eyes. "This is your daughter, Lady Una?"

"Yes," Una drawled out slowly, "and did I hear you correctly? Your son's name is Graeme?"

Sata nodded, her eyes drifting from the approaching youngsters and back to her English counterpart. "By chance, does your daughter spend a great deal of time on the computer?"

"More than we like sometimes," Una admitted. "Lucy has this ...friend she talks to all the time."

"As does Graeme." Sata put her hand to her mouth. "You don't think?"

"You don't suppose?"

Ariana and Midori both burst into impudent giggles. "Oh, Mom!" Ariana blurted out. "You should have seen it when Lucy and Graeme figured it out earlier for themselves! It was SO great!" They were both still chortling when the subject of their mirth walked up.

"Geez, gigglepuss," Graeme told his sister disgustedly. "What's up with you?"

"Mummy!" Lucy called out, pulling him with her. "You'll never guess what happened in a million years!"

"Oh, I think Lady Sata and I have figured it out," Una stepped down onto the path and held out her hand to her daughter's companion. "You must be Graeme - I've heard a lot about you but I never thought to meet you."

"Ah!" Sata bowed deeply. "This is a most auspicious meeting! I know how much Graeme enjoys talking with Lucy on the computer. For them to meet like this - it must be karma!"

"Mother?" Graeme said warily. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, _chibi-saru-kun_!" Sata put her hands on Graeme's shoulders as she gushed in Japanese. "It is nearly the time of year when your father and I exchanged vows. It is a perfect time for a handfasting!"

Graeme cast a desperate glance over his shoulder at Ariana and mouthed, "Help!"

His sister giggled and slipped away into the crowd.

"It is so wonderful that you wish to follow in the Ishimuran traditions," Sata continued in English. "Sakaki-_san_, is there a tea house available? I must perform _Chaji_ for our guests." She reached out and put an arm around Lucy's shoulders as well.

Sakaki glanced at Graeme and Lucy and then smiled conspiratorially. "Ah, Sata-_sama_ does you a great honor, Lady Una. Her skill as a tea master is legendary."

"I've always wanted to see a Japanese tea ceremony," Una answered agreeably, unaware of the subtleties of the situation. "What do you say, luv?"

"Yes, please!" Lucy exclaimed enthusiastically.

Graeme made an inarticulate sound in the back of his throat and his eyes glazed over.

Ariana reappeared with Brooklyn and Leo, a broad-chested Londoner with a lion's head in tow. Brooklyn shook his head as he summed up the scene taking place before them. "Well, you were right, Ari-_chan_," he told his daughter. "Sata's fitting him for his wedding kimono even now."

Leo merely raised a brow ridge. "Brooklyn," he said gravely, "I don't know suppose there's a pub around here? I feel a need for a pint."

"That's an excellent idea," Brooklyn said, returning the brow ridge lift. "Watch my back, Leo, I'm going in." He maneuvered his way in through the crowd of females and neatly retrieved his son. "Excuse us, ladies. We'll be back in a while."

"Brooklyn?" Sata blinked at him. "Where are you going?"

"Leo wants to have a word or two with Graeme." Brooklyn squeezed his son's shoulder. "Male bonding."

"Yes," Leo rumbled. "A father's prerogative. Lucy is my only daughter, you know."

"Oh, gods?" Graeme whimpered under his breath.

"Buck up, lad," Leo said amiably as soon as they were out of hearing range. "I'm not going to bite you. We just thought you looked a little overwhelmed in there."

Brooklyn laughed and ruffled his son's hair. "We'll just let Sata get all that matchmaking out of her system. Don't worry, Graeme, she'll come to her senses soon enough."

"Too bloody right," Leo agreed. "Una's been in a tear ever since my son Caspian slipped off to Caledonia to take his vows. I won't have her marrying off Lucy any time soon."

"Then," Graeme said in timid relief, "I'm not in trouble?"

"Son," Brooklyn said wryly, "once you get involved with females, you are always in trouble. You might as well get used to it."

Leo chuckled. "Amen!"

**_To be continued in Part II..._**


	2. Second date

**When Graeme Met Lucy?**

A TGS-based story

By C.S. Hayden

Characters from the "Gargoyles" show are the property of Disney and Buena Vista Television. All other characters are from The Gargoyles Saga fanfiction series.

**Second Date:**

**London****, 2005**

Lucy paced the length of the summerhouse and back, her tufted tail twitching irritably. The members of her rookery watched her curiously, as she grew more and more anxious as the night wore on. "Beatrix!" she snapped. "What time is it?"

"About fifteen minutes later than the last time you asked," the badger-headed gargoyle answered as she looked up from her book. "They might not get here until after dawn, you know."

"No," Lucy said, shaking her head. "Graeme said that their jet would only take a few hours to make the crossing." She sighed and looked up at the sky again.

It had been nearly four years since she and Graeme had met face-to-face in Ishimura. It had made their on-line chats even more personal, especially after they added webcams to their computers as well. Encouraged by their children's interest in each other, Sata and Una proposed a series of visits between clans for juvenile gargoyles along the lines of an exchange student program. The problem was that most gargoyle clans were too used to being self-contained units; the thought of outsiders living among them, even for a limited time made them uneasy. After much debate, it was finally decided to make a trial visit and as host for the inaugural event, the London clan was determined to see that everything went smoothly.

"Well, we're all looking forward to some new faces around here," Agnes, a tall falcon-headed female said helpfully. "Graeme and Ariana are going to be here for a whole month. That's a good long visit, much longer than you guys had in Ishimura."

"Which is more than the rest of us had," Dorcas sniffed disdainfully like the marmalade tabby cat she resembled. "It must be nice, tagging along with mummy and daddy all the time."

Dodger flipped a cigarette stub at her. "Oh, sod off, princess. You were off in the woods with your daddums then, perfectly happy to be runnin' around like the wildcat you are." The scruffy terrier-like male enjoyed goading the fastidious feline whenever possible.

"Hmmph! At least I know how to track. You couldn't find your way out of a paper bag."

"Why bother? There's a city map at every tube station."

A bright light passed overhead and all the young gargoyles turned their heads as a high-pitched whine reached their ears. Lucy gave a toothy grin and burst from the summerhouse.

"He's here!!" She dropped to all fours and sped up the path to the manor house.

"Oh, good grief," Dorcas grumbled. "There's going to be no living with her now."

"Yeah." Dodger crossed his arms and scowled. "I bet this Graeme guy is a real wanker."

"Still," Musgrave ventured, "he's got a sister." The shy spiky dragon gave a knowing look to his rookery brothers.

"Fancy you knowing that, brother mine." Winston tucked the book he'd been reading back in its hiding place. "Wondering if she's worth a look, eh?" he chuckled, shaking his bulldog jowls.

"I'm game," Prongs said, his antlers gleaming as he stepped out into the moonlight. "C'mon, let's all go. When's the last time something new happened around here?"

The young Londoners made it to the narrow landing strip behind the main house just in time to see the strange silver jet touching down. It had the red-and-black logo of Xanatos Enterprises painted rakishly on its tail like a pirate flag.

"Cool," Dodger admitted reluctantly.

Lucy was bouncing on her toes next to Leo. Her father had his arm around her shoulders in an effort to keep the young gargoyle from rushing up to the plane.

"Calm down, my girl," Leo rumbled gently. "It takes time to shut everything down before they can get off."

"I know, but still--" Lucy twisted her tail in her hands. "I just can't wait! We haven't seen each other since Ishimura. Do you think he'll still remember me?"

Griff chuckled as he stepped up next to them. "Trust me, kitten, no one could ever forget you. If they did, Leo would have to have words with the poor lad."

"Uncle!"

"And Leo didn't, I would." Griff grinned at the horrified expression on Lucy's face. "And no doubt, Caspian would want to have a piece of him after that."

"Och, hush yuir beak," Brianna told her mate sternly with a twinkle in her eye as she stepped up besides them. "Cannae ye see that Lucy has enough t' worry about wi'out yuir foolish talk?"

A rectangular panel hissed open near the back of the plane, forming a ramp that slowly lowered to the ground. A rambunctious gargoyle beast with series of fins around his neck and shoulders like a ruff barreled out and began running towards the crowd.

"Nudnik!!" Graeme swung down out of the plane, hot on the trail of his gargbeast. "Nudnik, HEEL!" He looked much as he did in Ishimura, only taller and wearing a leather vest and jeans torn at the knees.

At the sound of his master's voice, Nudnik screeched to a halt, all four paws digging furrows in the ground. He looked back at Graeme and whined.

"I thought we'd gotten past this bad habit of yours," Graeme said disgustedly. "This is London, for crying out loud, Nuddy. People don't act like maniacs here, they have manners."

"GRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAEME!!" Lucy vaulted right over Nudnik and tackled Graeme, spinning him around. "I thought you'd never get here! How was the flight? Did you remember to bring your stuff? I got all my Super Cyborg Assault Armadillo stuff out to show you! Where's your sister? Didn't she come with you?"

Nudnik harrumphed and stuck his snout up in the air.

"Okay, okay," Graeme told him as soon as he could pry Lucy off. "I was wrong, Nudnik, you're going to fit right in." He smiled self-consciously as he realized that they had an audience. "I'm glad to see you too, Lucy. You've, um, grown some since the last time I saw you." He looked her over appreciatively.

"You too!" Lucy clasped her hands behind her back, blushing at the compliment. She wasn't as flat-chested as she had been in Ishimura and she had been wondering if Graeme would notice. "You're taller now."

"Yeah." Graeme ran his hand through the back of his hair sheepishly.

Ariana walked up wearing a Mandarin-style shirt and a pleated skirt and handed Graeme a large duffel bag. "You forgot this, Graeme-kun." She laughed. "I can't blame Nudnik for being excited. Graeme's only been pacing in the cargo hold since we passed over Greenland."

"Ari-_chan_!" Graeme scowled at her.

Brooklyn and Sata had followed the twins out and were being greeted by Griff and Brianna. Brooklyn and Griff had clasped forearms immediately and were regaling Brianna with their first meeting in New York during the search for Excalibur. Sata noted Graeme's discomfort and came to his rescue.

"Now, children," Sata said soothingly, "let us put our best faces forward. This is our first visit and we don't want to start things off unpleasantly." The Ishimura samurai glanced up at the approaching adults. "Ah, Leo-_san_! You are here to chaperone, yes?" She bowed deeply to the older Londoner.

Leo returned the gesture. "Yes, and I'm very sorry Una could not be here. Our youngest, Aslan, isn't feeling well and she has her hands full with him at the moment."

"You are indeed lucky," Sata replied. "Three hatchlings is a great blessing." She smiled indulgently at her own twins. "I will not know what to do with myself without my young ones underfoot."

"If this works out," Leo commented, "I feel quite certain that the other clans will want to organize more of these cultural exchanges. Michael's still very keen on the idea." He motioned a hawk-headed female forward. "This is Perry, our rookery mother here at the estate. Griff and Brianna have recently taken charge of their warrior training. Between the lot of us, I think we can keep the kids out of trouble while your two are visiting."

"_Domo arigato_, Perry-_san_!" Sata bowed again in respect to Perry's age. "I know Graeme and Ariana will be in the best of care."

# # # # #

The next evening, the young gargoyles filed into the old ballroom that doubled as a makeshift gym. Covering the center of the room was a large square of protective mats. Graeme was digging through a duffel bag, putting on padded hand coverings but Ariana noted their arrival. The young red female came forward, wearing a traditional karate gi and carrying a bo staff. Graeme stood up and everyone could see he was wearing gi pants with a padded codpiece and padded coverings on his feet as well. He began to stretch and bounce on his toes.

Dodger snickered and nudged Winston. "Would you look at that? Digestive Biscuit is afraid of nicking his goolies."

Lucy shot a dirty look over her shoulder. "At least he has some."

"Oooh!" Dorcas smirked. "She has you there, Dodger."

Before Dodger could do more than make a face at her, Ariana rapped her bo on the floor.

"_Konbanwa_!" She bowed to the London youngsters. "Welcome to Bushido 101. Tonight we will assess your fighting skills. I will be teaching the more advanced fighting techniques. Graeme will be your sparring partner this evening."

Dorcas leaned over and whispered to Beatrix. "You know, once you get past his beak, Graeme's rather attractive." She cast a sly look at Dodger who bristled.

Beatrix nodded. "He's very fit. Lovely pectoral muscles."

"Really?" Lucy pursed her lips and watched Graeme swinging his arms over his head for a stretch. "Yes, you're quite right."

"And what's wrong with us resident males?" Prongs asked mildly.

"I don't know," Agnes replied pertly. "Take off your shirts and let's see."

Dodger snorted. "You first."

Brock joined Ariana carrying a clipboard. "Now, now," the elder called out. "I'm going to help our young samurai from America keep track of your progress so let's get started. Gentlemen," he gestured to Winston, Musgrave, Prongs and Dodger, "you're up."

"Um," Musgrave raised his hand. "Which one of us?"

Ariana smiled brightly. "All of you."

Dodger blinked. "You're kidding."

No." Ariana pointed her bo to the mats where Graeme was waiting. "All four of you. Now hurry up."

"Oh, this'll be a short fight," Dodger snorted as he adjusted his hat. "Come on, mates."

Graeme merely smiled and curled his fingers at them like Bruce Lee, daring them to come into the ring. Dodger exchanged a look with his rookery brothers and nodded. As one, they rushed the green gargoyle in the center. Graeme neatly flipped Dodger overhead with a shoulder throw, kicked Prongs in the chest, let Musgrave run past and trip over Dodger, and drove Winston to the floor with a punch-kick-throw combination. It took less than a minute.

Graeme smiled down at Dodger smugly as he offered him a hand up. "The pads are so I don't hurt YOU."

"Yeah, right." Dodger snarled and pulled Graeme down, driving an elbow into Graeme's kidneys. "I'll show you some real fightin', yank!"

"Hey!" Lucy yelled. "That's fighting dirty!"

Ariana put her hands on her hips. "Graeme-_kun_!! Stop fooling around!"

Graeme slapped his wing across Dodger's face and rolled to his feet. "What's the deal?" he demanded. "This is supposed to be a sparring match, not a street brawl!"

"You think you're hot stuff," Dodger answered back in a low growl, "comin' in 'ere an' tryin' t' steal away our girls." He bared his teeth and lunged in, his talons swishing just over Graeme's chest. "Me an' Lucy, we've been mates since th' egg. You kin keep yer stinkin' Yankee paws off 'er!"

"Are you delusional?" Graeme shot back as he dodged another talon swipe. "Lucy and I are none of your business, dog breath! Get over yourself!" He went on the offense and drove Dodger back with a series of punches and kicks.

From the edge of the mats, Winston gave Prongs and Musgrave a worried glance. "I don't like the looks of this," he murmured in his low voice. "Dodger's got his back up about something."

"You're right about that," Prongs agreed. "Let's break this up, eh? Musgrave, you get between them and we'll grab them."

"Me?" Musgrave exclaimed, his voice cracking an octave. "Why me?"

Winston blew out his jowly bulldog cheeks. "Because, my lad, you're getting to be spikier than a hedgehog and no one in their right mind would want to hit you."

The two larger males circled the combatants, waiting for an opening. Musgrave jumped between Dodger and Graeme and unfurled his wings even as he cowered and covered his head. Prongs grabbed Graeme from behind and hoisted him off his feet.

"Atta boy, mate!" Dodger roared. "Hold him for me!"

Unfortunately, the scruffy Londoner's charge was met by Graeme's foot in his stomach. Graeme swung both feet down and grabbed Prongs' antlers to use his momentum to throw the taller gargoyle off balance. He broke Prongs' hold by snapping open his wings and managed to catch Winston in the eye with a fist made of his wing talons. Graeme swirled and looked for Musgrave but the little draconic gargoyle had wisely backed off the edge of the mat.

"Muzzy!" Dorcas shouted. "You coward!" She dashed across the floor and hit Graeme low, knocking him into Dodger and Prongs. "Do I have to show you boys how it's done?"

"Hey!" Ariana yelled. "It's not your turn! Get out of there!"

Graeme grabbed Dorcas by the tail and flung her off the mats. She flipped lightly onto her feet and leaped onto Graeme's back. Her claws ripped across his green hide, leaving blood-red trails.

**_"GRAEME!"_** Lucy was halfway across the mats before his name left her mouth. She grabbed Dorcas and tossed her on her butt. "You stay out of this!" She started to turn back when Graeme swung around with a roundhouse punch that lifted her off her feet. Lucy went flying and landed in a tumbled heap on the hard wooden floor.

"Omigod!" Graeme froze for a second before bolting towards her. He stood over her, nervously reaching for her and then pulling his hands back, staring at them like he couldn't believe what he had done. "Lucy, I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was you!"

"It's all right, lad," Brock said, pulling Graeme aside. "Someone fetch one of the healers!"

"I didn't know it was her until it was too late," Graeme murmured. "I tried to pull the punch."

The old badger-headed elder patted the younger gargoyle on the shoulder. "You couldn't have expected it. You didn't know Lucy would be there."

"He's right, Graeme." Ariana said in a tone so firm that she sounded like their mother, Sata. "Come along now." She pointed to where Beatrix was leading an owl-headed elder through the crowd. "Give the healers some room. They'll take care of Lucy."

Graeme let his sister lead him to the far side of the room where the London youngsters were gathered, nursing their own bumps and bruises. Dodger glared at him.

"Proud of yourself, you prat?" Dodger growled. "See what your stupid kung fu chop suey stuff is good for?"

"I didn't know it was her!" Graeme protested. "If I did, I wouldn't have--"

"Tell it to someone who cares, twonk!" Dodger snapped back. "Maybe now Lucy will see you for the wanker you are!"

"Dodger!" Agnes exclaimed. "It was accident! Everyone knows it!"

"Do we?" Dorcas asked sharply. "He was supposed to just be assessing our fighting abilities, not hurting us." She winced as she rotated a shoulder.

Ariana took a step in her direction. "Be glad that it was Graeme you were facing and not me, little girl."

Dorcas sniffed. "Big talk."

"I can back up my words - can you?" Ariana narrowed her eyes. "Graeme, at least, has the discipline to know when not to get involved in a fight. You could have gotten all of your friends hurt out there by jumping in like that."

"At least I have friends."

Graeme put a hand on his sister's arm. "Don't, Ari-_chan_," he said in Japanese. "She's not worth it."

Ariana kept her eyes burning on Dorcas. "Are you sure?"

"_Hai__, oneechan_." Graeme sighed and continued in English. "Getting angry only defeats the reason why we're here."

Beatrix came over with a relieved look on her face. "She's only unconscious," she said quickly. "Amanda's having her taken to the infirmary but she thinks Lucy will be fine."

Graeme gave a great shuddering sigh as he turned away from the others. "Ari-_chan_, will you please take over? I need some air." He picked up his duffel bag and left the room.

"No problem, Graeme-_kun_." Ariana twirled her staff idly as she walked back to the mats. "Accidents will happen when one does not have discipline. It's clear to me that we will have to start from the very beginning. Please come to the mats and I will demonstrate the basic katas."

The young Londoners grumbled. Brock clapped his hands sharply. "Come now," the elder said in a no nonsense tone of voice, "this is important and you will learn what Ariana has to teach you."

"I don't see why we should," Dodger said, sticking his chin out belligerently. "Look what happened to Lucy!"

"Yes?" The badger-headed elder walked up to the young male. "And if tempers had been kept in check, things might have been different." Brock gave a stern look at both Dodger and Dorcas. "I think Bushido will teach you control. If I were you lot, I should apply myself."

"Or what?"

"I daresay Michael will be happy to tell you why."

Dodger promptly shut his mouth and followed the others onto the mats.

# # # # #

"Oh?" A soft gray blur melted into the barn owl face of Amanda, the clan's senior healer. Lucy winced as she felt the icepack covering her face. "What am I doing here?"

"You had a little accident, dear," Amanda said in her soft voice. "Can you tell me how many fingers I'm holding up?"

"Two?"

"Good." Amanda lifted the ice pack and gently probed the swelling around Lucy's eye. "You've been here for a while. Do you feel nauseous? Does your head hurt?"

"Just a little touchy around my eye," Lucy answered. "What happened?"

Ariana's red-skinned face came into view. "Graeme thought he was swinging at Dorcas, but he got you instead. You're lucky he pulled it at the last minute."

"I never saw it coming." Lucy blinked in astonishment. She pushed herself up on her elbows. "All I saw was stars and then I woke up here."

"Easy, young one." Amanda put her hands out to steady Lucy as she sat up and put her feet on the floor. "You may feel a little dizzy at first."

"Here, Lucy," Ariana said, coming around the infirmary cot. "Lean on me for a bit until you've got your legs back."

"I really don't feel that bad," Lucy protested. "I'm fine."

"All the same, let your friend help you, dear. Why don't you go to the kitchens and see Perry. I've given her some medicinal tea to brew up for you."

"All right." Lucy leaned over and gave Amanda a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, auntie."

"She's very nice," Ariana observed, "but she makes me homesick for Hudson. He's been like a grandfather to me and Graeme."

"Graeme!" Lucy looked around as they crossed the Great Hall. Her gargoyle beast, Ranger, looked up from the fireplace where he had been napping with Treacle and Cavall, the other resident beasts, and headed towards them. "Is he all right?"

"Not really." Ariana made a face and sighed. "The other kids were kind of hard on him. He nearly got into another fight with Dodger but Graeme decided to leave early."

"But it wasn't his fault."

"I know that and you know that but it's going to be a while for everyone else figures it out." Ariana frowned. "That includes Graeme."

"What do you mean?"

"Look," Ariana said finally, "I know my brother. Graeme is too soft-hearted sometimes. I've been his sparring partner all my life and you'd think he'd be used to it, but any time that he manages to get in a lucky punch - it just kills him. He hates to hurt people that he loves."

Lucy blinked and cocked her head. "You don't mean--?"

"You'd have to ask him yourself, but like I said, I know my brother." Ariana shrugged, not bothering to hide a smile as she bent to scratch Ranger's ears. "You might find him out with Nudnik. They went for a walk."

Perry took that moment to bustle out of the kitchens and settle Lucy in a corner with a hot mug and a plate of cookies. Ariana excused herself and Lucy was left to mull things over. After since Graeme had arrived, they had been inseparable - she'd taken him all over the estate, showing him all her favorite places and talking until dawn. It was no wonder that Dodger was jealous. Lucy was fond of her rookery brother but she'd known ages ago that he wasn't for her.

The herbal tea was tart with a bitter aftertaste that made her nose wrinkle. The thing to do, Lucy decided, was to find a way to get everyone to be friends again. She had a good idea where to start. Ranger whined and begged shamelessly for a snack. Lucy regarded him thoughtfully.

"What do you say, boy?" she asked as she balanced a cookie on his nose. "Wanna go walkies and play nice with Nudnik?"

  
  
The little gray beast merely wagged his tail and waited for more cookies.

# # # # #

It took Ranger no time at all to pick up their trail. Lucy found Graeme sitting on an overhang looking out over the lake, far from the main house. Nudnik was lying with his head in Graeme's lap, somehow sensing his master's pensive mood. He crooned and Graeme absently scratched the garg beast's broad head.

"I wish I'd stayed at home, Nuddy," Graeme said finally. "This just hurts too much."

"Actually, it doesn't hurt at all."

Nudnik whined and wagged his stub tail as Lucy sat down next to the beast, neatly tucking her legs beneath her. Ranger trotted past them and went down to the water's edge for a drink. Graeme froze in mid scratch and deliberately looked away from her.

"You know," Lucy said brightly, "I've always wanted to haul off and deck Dorcas. She's had a twist in her knickers ever since she hatched."

Graeme swallowed hard.

Lucy continued on as if she hadn't noticed. "You have to show me some more of those Bushido moves. I think that if the others see me learning them, then they won't have any reason not to."

A tear rolled down Graeme's rounded cheek.

"It's okay," Lucy said gently and reached over to place her hand on his as it lay on Nudnik's head. "We've been friends too long to let this come between us. It was just a dumb accident, Graeme, that's all." She let her fingers slip between his and squeezed his hand.

His fingers tightened around hers for a few minutes before he was able speak. Graeme looked at her shyly through the unruly hair that covered his eyes. "That's quite a shiner you've got there." His voice was very soft.

"It's nothing a good day's sleep won't fix." Lucy touched her swollen face and shrugged. "You can hardly see it under the fur."

"I'm so sorry."

"I know."

"I didn't--"

"Hush." Lucy reached over with her other hand and put her fingertips on the end of his beak. "I don't want you to blame yourself any more. My rookery and I are the ones who should be sorry. We have no discipline. We're the ones who turned your Bushido lesson into a pub brawl."

"But--"

Tired of both young gargoyles leaning on him, Nudnik suddenly backed away, tumbling Lucy into Graeme's lap. He caught her instinctively and promptly froze in terror. Likewise, Lucy was at a loss at what to do - but only for a moment. Impulsively, she put her arms around Graeme and hugged him tight.

"Please, Graeme," she whispered. "I don't want you to be unhappy here. There are so many things that I've always wanted to share with you. You're special to me - don't you know that?"

She felt him smile against her forehead. "You've always been more than a friend to me." His arms tensed up around her for a few seconds. "I think - I think that's why I got so upset."

"Ariana said," Lucy bit her lip, "she said that you hate to hurt the ones you love." She heard him suck in a big breath and hold it. "Is that true?" She swallowed. "About me?"

Graeme's heart was pounding so loudly that Lucy could have heard it even if her head wasn't on his shoulder. "Y-yes?," he finally managed to squeak out.

Now it was Lucy's turn to be embarrassingly shy. She felt like every inch of fur on her body was standing on end. There didn't seem to be any proper way to say what she was feeling. She was thrilled and terrified all at the same time.

"Lucy?"

She pulled away to look into Graeme's nervous face. "Yes?"

"Would you mind if I kissed you?"

"Can you?" Lucy reached out and touched Graeme's beak. "I mean, I didn't know if you could. Rosalind can, she's my brother's mate and she has a beak, but -- "

Before she could go on, Graeme's hands had framed her face and his beak was pressed against her muzzle. The curved point of his beak was hard like stiff leather but it was his soft lower lip that caressed her mouth. His warm breath wafted over the tiny sensitive hairs on her muzzle like an angel's sigh, tingling pleasantly throughout all her senses. It was a kiss unlike any Lucy had ever had in her life and just when she was getting used to it, Graeme hastily pulled away. She made a disappointed little mewl in the back of her throat.

"Um, sorry," Graeme said awkwardly, cheeks flushed in embarrassment, "but that's kind of how I have to kiss, what with the beak and all."

Dazed, Lucy just stared at him.

Nervously, Graeme prattled on. "I asked Dad and he said it was best to just haul off and do it because otherwise I might poke you in the eye or something, stupid beak. I didn't mean to seem pushy, sorry if I did." He waved a hand in front of Lucy's face. "Um, I'm sorry - you're upset with me now, aren't you?"

She fought to keep a silly grin from forming on her face. He'd actually PLANNED to kiss her - he'd thought ahead and had Brooklyn teach him how. She couldn't imagine Dodger or any of her other rookery brothers going to that much trouble.

"For what it's worth, Mother says Dad's kisses got better with practice." A truly desperate look of panic was forming in his almond-shaped eyes. "Lucy?"

"I think," she answered slowly and deliberately, "that I would be happy to help you practice."

"Really?" His shy smile turned roguish.

"Mmm-hmm?," she murmured back. "Fancy a bit of a snog?"

"What's that?"

"I'll show you."

# # # # #

**_A few hours later?_**

"Where's Lucy got off to?" Dodger said irritably as he took up his spot in the estate garden. "She's not still in the infirmary, is she?"

"No," Beatrix answered. "Amanda said she was fine. She sent her off to have Perry fuss over her."

Dorcas glanced around, eyes narrowing at the empty space by Ariana. "Where's your brother?" she called. "Out bullying some other girls?"

Ariana started to scowl but stopped only to smile broadly. "Graeme-_kun_!" she said cheerfully. "I see that Lucy managed to find you. Nudnik was back ages ago."

The other youngsters turned to see Lucy and Graeme strolling into the walled garden hand-in-hand. Graeme smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, we had some things to talk about."

"Everything's straightened out now," Lucy said firmly. "I can't wait to start our Bushido lessons properly tomorrow."

"What?" Dodger exclaimed.

"I'm not afraid of a little hard work," Lucy said, sticking her chin out. "Are you?"

"No, but--"

"Then that's settled." Lucy turned back to Graeme. "I'm going to prove to you that we Londoners can be just as good at this new kind of fighting, just you wait and see!"

"Somehow, Lu-_chan_, I think you will." Graeme gently brushed her browridge with his thumb. "Sleep well."

"Lu-_chan_?" Ariana asked incredulously as her brother took his place besides her.

Graeme winked at her as they all turned to stone.

****

****

**_To be continued in Part III..._**


	3. The Wyvern Junior Leadership Summit

**When Graeme Met Lucy…**

A TGS-based story

By C.S. Hayden

Characters from the "Gargoyles" show are the property of Disney and Buena Vista Television. Happa is borrowed with permission from the fanfics of Kimberly T. All other characters are from The Gargoyles Saga fanfiction series.

**Part III – The Wyvern Junior Leadership Summit**

**Manhattan, 2010**

Graeme pulled up another chair up to the computer that Lexington was working at and straddled it, folding his arms over the back. He sighed and let his head sink down on his forearms. "Gods, why did Goliath decide to do this to me?"

Faint red lines of code trailed across his eyes as Lexington blinked at the younger gargoyle's melodramatic entrance. Since they were the two self-proclaimed geeks of the Manhattan clan, he was accustomed to Graeme's presence in the computer room and all the adolescent angst that went with it. As result, all Lex did was merely ask, "Why's that, Graeme?"

"All this!" Graeme waved his hands about. "I just wanted to arrange for Lucy to visit! The next thing I know, it's turned into some kind of junior leadership seminar and two-garg teams are coming from all over. Mom's going totally banzai, scheduling every minute from sundown to sunup." He groaned and rolled his eyes. "All I wanted was to have a week or two with my girlfriend – was that too much to ask?"

"I thought you and Ariana really enjoyed being with other kids your age." He smiled knowingly. "After all, that's how you got to meet Lucy."

"Yeah, but it's all different now." Graeme sighed and put his head back down on his arms. "They're sending Dodger along with her."

"Dodger?"

"Her wingsecond." He made a rude noise up in his beak. "He's one of the street gargs – they live in London proper, not out on the Marter estate. Lucy says he was the rebel of their rookery from the beginning."

The corners of Lexington's mouth betrayed a knowing smirk. "What do you think of him?"

"I can take Dodger or leave him." Graeme shrugged and glared at the monitor in front of him. "I'd rather he stayed in London but that's not happening, so too bad, so sad for me." He thrust his chin out in a full Brooklyn-esque sulk.

A tale-tell tapping of talons on the tiles preceded a tasteful throat clearing. Both males looked up at the pale vermillion female standing politely outside the door. Her skin was lightly patterned with tiny golden freckles that accented her tip-tilted eyes and dark shoulder length hair. The tapping was due to the long, raptor-like claw on the middle toe of her feet. Her turquoise cheongsam was cut to allow for the wing webbing that extended down to her hips. She was to all appearances, tiny and exquisite, but there was a certain tightness around the corners of her mouth kept others from getting too close.

Graeme cast a sidelong glance at his uncle. Lexington narrowed his eyes and sighed. "Yes, Red Wind?"

The Chinese gargoyle bowed slightly. "I beg your pardon, but Owen has called ahead. The first group of guests will be arriving momentarily."

Lex nodded curtly. "All right, I'll save what I'm doing and we'll be along in a moment." Red Wind bowed again and walked away silently.

"Geez," Graeme muttered under his breath. "How long are you guys gonna be like this?"

"I don't know," Lex sighed, more bitterly than before. "Neither of us really wanted to be mated – the World Council just threw us together so we could make little web-winged flying rats. We almost didn't manage that and she's never forgiven me." He shook his head. "It wasn't my fault that we had to have the medical team underfoot the whole time, for crying out loud!"

"That was three years ago. How long can she stay mad?"

"Females are contrary creatures, Graeme. Who knows?" Lexington tapped in a few last commands and pushed away from the console. "Let's go get this over with, shall we?"

Graeme stood up, standing nearly a head taller than his diminutive uncle. "Maybe Red Wind will be happier once the Asian clans get here. Both Ishimura and Xanadu are sending teams and I think Kai managed to talk the Koreans into participating as well."

Picking up his laptop, Lexington followed Graeme into the hall. "Goliath has me doing administrative duty. You go on up to the landing pad and I'll see you in the Great Hall later."

Anticipation gave Graeme's feet wings and he was through the maze of castle corridors and out onto the main courtyard before he knew it. A large section of the original stonework had been replaced with durable tarmac for the constant air traffic that was part of life at the Eyrie Building. Ariana was already waiting, tying her hair back in a loose bunch with a scrunchie. She was wearing an electric blue Lycra bike shirt with short black sleeves and a red Xanacorp logo on the front with a pair of black bike shorts with blue racing stripes. It was a sure sign that his sister was in full tomboy mode. Graeme thanked his lucky stars that she would soon have other sparring partners than just him.

"Nervous?" Ariana asked mischievously, by way of greeting.

He scowled at her and ran a hand through his hair. "No, not especially. Why?"

"You're wearing the outfit that I picked out for you, that's all." She rocked back and forth on her toes, not even trying to hide her bemused smile. "You usually get miffed when I rummage through your closet."

"I do not, I—aauuugh!" He glanced down at the black leather vest and matching black pants that he was wearing and crossed his arms over his chest. "So I wanted to look different, so what?"

Ariana bumped him with her shoulder. "Lucy's gonna think you're so hot….."

"Oh, shut up." Graeme's cheeks burned. "You think so?" he asked wistfully after a few seconds.

"Uh-huh." She twined her fingers behind her back and grinned at him with narrowed eyes. "We girls have an instinct for these things."

Graeme smiled sheepishly and shrugged, but before he could say anything, the hollow thumping of an approaching helicopter caught their attention. The brilliant glare of the landing lights made both of them shade their eyes as the vehicle landed and the pilot stopped the engines. Several minutes passed as Graeme and Ariana waited anxiously for their guests to disembark.

"Which group do you think it is?" Graeme asked out of the corner of his mouth. "Red Wind didn't say."

"Oh, it's –"

The passenger door burst open and a pink-haired female with skin the color of green tea leaped out. She was wearing hip-hugging denim jeans and a t-shirt with a stylized Japanese flag on it as she chattered at someone behind her. Turning, she spied the twins. Her eyes lit up and so did Ariana's.

_**"MI-CHAN!"**_

_**"ARI-CHAN!"**_

With simultaneous, high-pitched squeals, Ariana and the pale green female from Ishimura abandoned all restraint and darted forward to pounce on each other. She and Midori had met years before at the World Gathering and had kept up an active friendship ever since. Graeme rolled his eyes at them both; Sata had high hopes of Midori being a good influence on her tomboy daughter. Unfortunately behind that doll-like geisha facade, Midori was just as big an extrovert as Ariana.

"Graeme-_san_!" Midori threw her arms around his neck in a sisterly strangle hold. "I'm so very glad to see you!"

"Where's Toshi?" Graeme asked when he could breathe again.

"Oh, he couldn't come – he's been apprenticed to Master Kado and he's busy learning to be a healer."

Midori released Graeme and went back to tug at the arm of a tall yellow-green male with back-swept horns, a spade tail, and wearing a rust red Japanese tunic with a dark blue pattern trimming the edges. Towering over her, he still appeared to be growing into his enormous wings and feet and smiled shyly as he was introduced.

"This is my rookery brother, Happa," Midori announced cheerfully, "You probably don't remember him from when you were last in Ishimura." She laughed. "He wasn't much bigger than me then – but shortly afterwards, he shot up like a tree and just kept growing!"

"I remember you," Graeme said as they approached. "You were Toshi's heavy hitter when we were playing baseball."

"Ah, Graeme-_san_! Yes, you were playing shortstop when you caught my line drive!" Happa laughed and for a few seconds he looked remarkably like Kai, the Ishimuran leader. "I hope that I didn't hurt you! No one has ever been quick enough to catch one of my hits in the infield before!"

"Luckily I got the feeling back into my fingers by the next inning." Graeme ran a hand through his unruly dark hair. "It was a great game. I put in a request for a night off to watch the Yankees. I hope someone remembered to put it in the schedule."

Happa nodded and gestured to their fellow travelers. "That was one of the things that we were talking about on the trip over. Our cousins on the mainland also like baseball," he said enthusiastically, switching from Japanese to English. "This is Kwan Lin and Li Kao from Xanadu in China." A lilac female with a round face and a russet-colored male with a wily expression bowed in response. "And this is Jin-ho and Yong from the Pukhan clan in Korea." A pale gold female with long dark brown locks stepped forward but it was her companion that was impressive – a stoic bronze male that was nearly as broad as he was tall. All four of them were dressed in plain, somber-colored tunics and looked politely terrified of their new surroundings.

"Welcome to Manhattan," Graeme said, adding a formal bow to put them at ease. "I'm Graeme and this is my sister, Ariana. We hope you'll enjoy your stay here at Castle Wyvern."

Ariana listened intently to the communicator clipped to her ear. "If you'll come with me," she said, raising her voice, "we'll go to the Great Hall for orientation. We need to clear the landing pad. I've just been told that we've got another arrival coming in." She winked at Graeme. "You'll want to stay for this one, bro. It's from Lon-don…."

Midori giggled and smacked him with her tail as she passed. He must have had a silly grin on his face but Graeme didn't care. He felt like every inch of his skin was tingling, he was so excited at the thought of finally seeing her after so long. Spotting the bright lights of the approaching aircraft, Graeme put on a pair of sunglasses to shield his eyes. The fact that they went well with his outfit was serendipitous; despite his sister's teasing, he really did want to impress Lucy tonight. She was always going on about Dodger this and Dodger that lately – Graeme growled under his breath just thinking about it.

"Get a grip," he told himself. "Remember what Dad said – just play it cool." In Graeme's eyes, Brooklyn was the expert on females. He'd been watching his parents carry on like newlymates for years. He couldn't imagine Brooklyn ever being awkward and uncertain around Sata in the way that he felt around Lucy.

The backwash from the rotors made Graeme's hair twist into a static-charged haystack. It crackled through his fingers as he tried to pat it down. In desperation, he licked his hand and tried to stick it down but the cowlick that he had inherited from Brooklyn refused to behave. He gave up as the pilot killed the engines and waited anxiously for the passenger door to open.

Unfortunately the first one out of the plane was the person he least wanted to see.

"'Ullo-'ullo-'ullo!" Dodger jumped down onto the tarmac and gave Graeme an evil grin. "Wearin' me cast-offs now, are ye?"

Staring at the scruffy, dark-furred Londoner in horror, Graeme realized that he and Dodger were wearing almost exactly the same outfit from the black leather vest to the tight black pants. The only difference was that Graeme was wearing sunglasses while Dodger was sporting a leather cap with holes cut out for his terrier ears. Graeme swore inwardly and managed to answer, "Hardly – this is something Ariana picked out."

"Heh! I always knew yer sister an' I had great taste!" Dodger looked around. "Where is th' little skank anyway? She owes me a kiss!"

"If you put your hairy lips anywhere on MY sister—"

"Graeme?"

A dainty white paw drew his attention away from his rival. His eyes trailed up and his heart skipped a beat. The last time Graeme had seen Lucy in person, she had still been tomboy thin and coltish. Nature had taken steps to correct that; now her curvy figure was filled out in the most interesting places, making her simple navy dress seem very posh indeed. Lucy came up to him, tossing her golden hair back over her shoulders. "Well," she said nervously, "we're here."

Graeme's mouth went dry. It took Dodger snickering at him to make him realize that his beak was wide open and probably had been for several minutes. He shut it with an audible snap and wished he still could travel back in time to cover his faux pas.

Eyes dancing, Lucy leaned in. "I guess you're glad to see me, eh?"

Smiling sheepishly, he answered, "You could say that." He leaned towards her as if to kiss her but the sudden appearance of two strangers coming up behind her made him back off. "Who's this?"

Lucy turned back towards the newcomers. "Uncle Griff went off with Arthur to visit the Antarctic clan and brought back these guys." She threaded her arm through Graeme's, a gesture that he was gratified to note made Dodger bristle. "This is Kirima," she indicated a silvery-blue female with long white hair and fine, fluffy white fur on her legs, forearms, and tail, "and this big guy is Mawson."

Like Kirima, the grey-green male from Antarctica was furred but he also had massive horns like a musk ox twisting back from his brow and a thick mane of shaggy brown hair that spread over his shoulders like a mantle. Stretching his bright blue eyes to tiny slits in his broad face, Mawson grinned with a child's enthusiasm. "No need to introduce you," he boomed jovially. "You must be the Graeme that Lucy's been on about." Mawson was also wearing leather pants and a vest but his outfit looked like he had hunted down and killed whatever it came from rather than bought it from a store. There was no sign of hostility, however, as he clasped wrists with Graeme. "Kirima and I have been looking forward to this visit ever since we got the invitation. Until Griff and King Arthur brought us back to London with them, we'd never been off the ice!"

"Lucky for you," Dodger said, "Lucy here did her best to defrost you lot!" He and Mawson chortled riotously at his joke but it was all Graeme could do to remember he was supposed to be a good host.

"So," Lucy said almost too brightly to cover her own nervousness, "where do we go from here?"

"There's an orientation meeting in the Great Hall," Graeme answered, grateful to have a change of topic. "Ari's already taken the Asian group down – come on, I'll show you."

By the time that they reached the Great Hall, Graeme had regained his composure. Having Lucy on his arm had helped but it also made him wish that he didn't have to play castle tour guide. Her hip kept bumping into him as they walked in and by the way the corners of her mouth twitched, Graeme was pretty sure it was intentional.

"There you are," Goliath said in greeting. "Please come in and be seated. I believe that's all the guests. Lexington?"

The olive web-winged gargoyle looked up from his laptop. "Graeme?"

"London and Antarctica, all accounted for." Graeme made the introductions for his group and let them over to the long table in front of the massive fireplace.

When they had been moving the furniture around earlier in the week, Hudson had commented wistfully at how much it reminded him of how the castle had looked back in the old days in Scotland. Broadway and Angela had gone into the storage rooms and brought out some antique tapestries to complete the look. Owen had been persuaded to disable the fire alarms so they could light torches in the wrought iron holders around the room. The delighted grin on Hudson's face had been well worth it; since his health had begun to deteriorate in the last year, the clan had all been trying to keep his spirits up. Gargoyles enjoyed long lives but when old age finally caught up to them, it did so with a vengeance.

Hudson was currently holding court by the fireside with Bronx and Nudnik at his feet. The Chinese girl, Kwan Lin was bending towards him with Red Wind making introductions. The conversation seemed to revolve around the gargoyle beasts because Hudson gestured towards them and Bronx allowed Kwan Lin to pat his broad head. Nudnik got up, shook out his scaled ruff, and padded over to Graeme.

Lucy immediately reached over to scratch his ears. "Nuddy! Look at you!" she crooned to the beast, "He's so big! What have you been feeding him?"

"Vagrant pretzel vendors and dishwater hotdog carts," Graeme replied fondly. His bronze-skinned pet was now the same size as Bronx but could look frighteningly larger when he made the rows of spade-like fins of his armored ruff stand up on his neck and shoulders. "How's Ranger and Treacle?"

"Hopelessly in love," Lucy giggled. "Musgrave and I had a devil of a time convincing them to go off into the woods when they want to fool around."

Dodger made a rude noise. "Yeah, but it certainly livened up last winter's Solstice party. Boz was dronin' on, readin' from Dickens an' puttin' everyone to sleep, when th' horny little buggers started shaggin' right there on th' rug behind 'im!"

"You're kidding!"

"No…. although I wish I were," Lucy sighed. "It was SO embarrassing."

"An' educational!" Dodger added shamelessly. "Th' rugrats in th' junior rookery had never seen th' like!"

Graeme leaned towards Lucy. "How long were you grounded?"

"Three weeks." She rolled her eyes. "It's not like Muzzy and I trained them to do it! We rang up Tiberius in Scotland and found out that the Caledonian beasts had been doing the same thing. They just mature faster than the rest of us, that's all."

"That sounds familiar," said a new voice behind them. The young gargoyles looked up to see a green-eyed human boy taking a seat by Graeme, his auburn hair tousled as if he had just gotten out of bed. He was wearing denim jeans and a Xanatos Enterprises jersey. "Did I miss anything?"

"Nope, just started." Graeme thrust a thumb at him. "This is Alexander Xanatos. He'll be sitting in on the castle sessions." He smirked over his shoulder. "Or at least the ones he can keep awake for!"

"Ha-ha!" Alex shot back. "Lucky for me, Sterling Academy is on summer break. I can catch some Z's in the daytime just like you guys!" He craned to look at Lucy over Graeme's shoulder. "So," he drawled out, "this is the grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrlfriend, huh? She looks soft and huggable."

Lucy giggled. "And to think I thought I'd be getting away from little brothers! I see you've got one of your own."

"Not by choice," Graeme sighed. "You're a little late on the tacky comments, Alex. Ariana and Dodger here already beat you to it."

"Don't listen to 'im, lad!" Dodger chimed in. "The more people heaping abuse on poor Graeme here th' merrier!"

Staring balefully at the Londoner across the table, Graeme growled, "Very funny, hairball, but you have to face me in the gym sometime. Do you really want me to pound you into the mats?"

By the gleam in his eyes, Dodger had a snappy comeback all prepared but just then, Goliath rapped his knuckles on the table. "Welcome, young warriors, to Castle Wyvern," he said impressively in his distinctive deep voice. "I am Goliath, leader of this clan. You have been selected by the leaders of your home clans for the skills and abilities that have set you apart from your rookery siblings. For the next month, you will be given the opportunity to prove whether you have the leadership skills to guide your clans in this new century."

He gestured to the human standing next to him. "This is David Xanatos, who has helped make all this possible. In addition to being our host here at the Eyrie Building, he has been responsible for making all the transportation arrangements and for expediting the international red tape to make this assembly happen." Everyone applauded politely and Xanatos acknowledged them magnanimously as they did so.

"Yay, Dad." Alex twirled a finger next to his head, safely concealed by neighboring gargoyles. "Big hairy deal."

"You two on the outs again?" Graeme asked out of the corner of his mouth. "I thought you guys had a truce over the summer."

"He and Mom had a fight last night – Anastasia had been by," Alex said glumly. "I like Grandmother – I don't see why I can't go to Avalon and visit her."

"Because an hour there is a day here," Graeme answered back. "You'd blink and miss your entire eighth grade year."

"Like that would be something to miss!"

"Your parents wouldn't think so," Graeme said a little too loudly, wincing as Sata shot a withering look in their direction. "Now pipe down or you'll get us both in trouble."

"You will find that Manhattan is very different from the places that you have come from," Goliath said. "We have spent many years building an alliance with the humans of this city. Gargoyles can no longer afford to hide in the shadows, not if our race is to survive. You will be assigned to a patrol wing, under a senior warrior's supervision at first but eventually you will select your own wing leaders and fly your own patrols."

Ariana cleared her throat and Graeme could tell by the tilt of her head that she was looking straight at Brooklyn. The red-skinned clan second made a face back at her but it was no good; Brooklyn could never resist his daughter's wishes for very long. He leaned in towards Goliath and murmured something out of the side of his beak to the Wyvern leader.

Casting an amused look from Brooklyn to Ariana, Goliath gave a small smile. "However, I am reminded that you are not here just to learn new skills but also to forge new friendships. For the remainder of the evening, I invite you to enjoy the hospitality of the castle. Our young warriors, Ariana and Graeme will show you to your quarters."

The east wing of the castle had long since been given over to the resident gargoyles. Ariana and Graeme had suites facing each other along with their parents, Angela and Broadway, and Red Wing. Goliath had a room up in the tower but he spent his free time mostly at Elisa's place. Lexington had moved out of his mate's quarters and into his computer room not long after she had laid their egg. Since gargoyles used their rooms primarily for storage and socializing, it had been decided to put the females in with Ariana and the males in with Graeme. It was crowded but an arrangement that left the young gargoyles with chaperones in every direction.

"Well," Graeme said as he swung open the double doors, "this is my room, also known as Ari's extra storage space." He rolled his eyes. "Why she has to keep her stuff in my closets, I have no idea." He swept his hand over the room as he continued to speak. The space normally taken up with a bed was a walled entertainment center with a circle of couches. The rest of the room was occupied by Graeme's computer system which seemed to have started on the desk and spilled over to a table and quite a bit of the floor. "Bathroom's through there, closet's over there, that's where I play video games, and that's my computer. If you guys want to use it, that's cool. This one's on an outside server, not the Xanatech mainframe."

"Why's that?" Dodger asked, and then he gave a harsh barking laugh. "Oh, I get it -- you don't want anyone catchin' you an' Lucy havin' cybersex!"

"No," Graeme shot back, "it's so the main system doesn't get polluted with a virus when some idiot downloads cyberporn." He narrowed his eyes. "Like you did with Lucy's computer at the magic shop."

"Hey, it was only that one time."

"Yeah, right."

Mawson began to chuckle, hissing slightly around the two lower canines that protruded like tusks from his lower jaws. "Are you two going to bicker like this all the time? You squabble like a couple of old aunties!"

Rubbing the back of his head, Graeme smiled sheepishly. "I suppose you've got a point.

Mom would tell me that I'm being a poor host."

"Your… mother?" Li Kao, the russet male from China, said tentatively. His face was long and narrow, ending in a wispy goatee. "Your clan doesn't have communal rookeries?"

"Well, the next rookery will be," Graeme said as he walked over to lean against the back of the couch, "but it was just me, Ari, and our parents traveling with the Phoenix Gate while we were growing up. We were nineteen by the time the Gate brought us back here." He shrugged. "Let's face it, two kids does not a rookery make."

"It's a valid point," Happa agreed. "My clan is communal but if my parents were Lady Sata and the Timedancer, I would acknowledge them too."

"What?" Yong showed the first signs of life that he had had since arriving. His voice resonated like a brass gong and he spoke English slowly with a harsh accent. "Lady Sata, the Ancestress of Ishimura? She is your mother?"

"Yeah," Graeme replied. "She doesn't like to make a big thing out of it. How'd you hear about that? I thought the whole Ancestress gig was a Japanese thing."

Yong nodded. He had no visible neck so his whole upper body bobbed in the affirmative. "Our clan second traveled to Ishimura on a diplomatic mission many years ago. He came back with a Japanese mate. She has told us Lady Sata's story many times."

"My clan has also heard the story," Li Kao said. "It was one of many tales that Mei Hsing brought back from the first World Gathering." He gave a wry smile. "So tell us – what's it like having a legend for a mother?"

"About the same as it is for anyone else," Graeme said, making a joke of it. "She nags me about leaving my clothes on the floor, makes me clean my plate, and badgers me about my homework." He laughed. "The only thing I find legendary about my mom is how often she catches me up to something."

They were all laughing at this when the door slammed open and Alex bounded into the room. He hurtled past Graeme and landed on the couch, bouncing Li Kao up in the air briefly.

"The girls are all giggling like they're wired on nitrous," Alex reported. "So what are you guys up to?" He propped his scuffed sneakers up on the coffee table.

"Th' same thing, boyo," Dodger said as he examined the entertainment center, "only without all th' gigglin'." He looked around. "Although I wouldn't say no to a beer. Where do you keep th' keg, eh?"

Alex laughed. "Good luck -- Owen went through the rooms earlier today. You guys are high and dry."

"Bugger that."

Li Kao got up from the couch at that moment and joined Yong near the window. It wasn't until Mawson stepped away that Graeme realized that the group dynamics had changed. The Chinese and Korean gargoyles were casting disturbing glances at Alex. Mawson merely crossed his arms over his chest and looked uncomfortable. Graeme raised a brow ridge and caught a glimpse of Dodger frowning out of the corner of his eye. The London clan, like Ishimura and Manhattan, were accustomed to socializing with humans. The others clearly were not.

"So," Dodger said to bridge the awkward moment, "Graeme tells me you're goin' to be in on this thing too. How's a wee wingless boy like you goin' to keep up with th' likes of us?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "Please, I've got my own exo-suit with jet propulsion – trust me, I can keep up."

"And he can," Graeme added. "We're just lucky that Fox keeps his turbos cycled back or he'd fly rings around us."

"I beg your pardon," Li Kao said a polite tone that verged on insulting, "but am I to understand that we are expected to work closely with this human?"

"Well, yes…" Graeme drawled. "I know that Red Wind had trouble getting used to it at first, but she adapted. Your clans aren't still living apart from humans, are they?"

"After what they've done to us?" Yong demanded hotly. "You live a soft life here in this pampered nest. When the humans began their long war, dividing North and South Korea, we in the Pukhan clan were caught in the middle. We had to go deep into the mountains to survive." His nostrils flared. "Why should we tolerate him among us?"

"Well, if it helps," Alex offered, "I'm not entirely human." He might as well have announced that he had an eye in the middle of his forehead. Even Happa and Dodger looked alarmed now.

Shaking his head, Graeme tried to save the situation. "His grandmother's a member of the Third Race." When that got no reaction, he tried again. "You know, Avalon? Oberon's Children?"

"The Ba Xian?" Li Kao asked, his curiosity overcoming his distrust of humans. "The immortal ones? There have always been stories but I've never seen one."

"Well, you're seeing one now," Alex said smugly. "You've probably heard of my grandmother -- her name's Titania."

"Titania, Queen of th' Fairies?" Dodger gave a harsh, barking laugh. "Come on!"

Graeme crossed his arms. "Dude, you've been rubbing elbows with King Arthur and Merlin for years. You're one to talk."

"He's got you there, mate," Mawson said. He sauntered over and took a seat on the adjoining couch. "If you're one of the fae folk, ... Alex," he said awkwardly pausing over the name, "then you would have some of their gifts. What can you do?"

"I do magic, of course," Alex answered confidently. "I've been doing it ever since I was a baby. Grandmother says I have unlimited potential."

"What?" Dodger guffawed. "You mean to tell me that you're a Yank version of Harry Potter? Pull th' other one!"

"You don't believe me?" Alex was still smiling but his eyes were as hard and cold as green agates. Graeme suspected that the human boy had taken their comments harder than he had let on. When he got that look in his eye, Alex was so much like his father that it was scary. Once a Xanatos felt challenged, there was no backing down.

"A kid like you? Please!"

Graeme stepped out of range at that point. Subconsciously, the others did too.

Alex's eyes flared bright green and his lips moved silently.

Dodger had time to just spread out his feathered wings when there was a hollow whooshing sound like air being sucked out a gargoyle-sized space in the room. His leather vest and pants collapsed into a pile. There was utter silence.

"Pickle me for a penguin!" Mawson whistled. "Remind me not to piss you off!"

"A thousand pardons, Alex-_san_," Happa asked hesitantly, "but what did you do to him?"

The pile of clothing suddenly shifted and the scruffy dark head of a small terrier dog pushed his way out. Dodger, for there was no mistaking his facial features, had been turned into a non-descript mongrel dog about two feet tall. He shook out his front feet, then his back feet, before cocking his head and looking at them with a puzzled expression. There was a nervous pause and then all of them began laughing – even Yong cracked a smile at Dodger's misfortune.

This did nothing to soothe Dodger's nerves. The fur on his back stood up as he yapped at them all furiously. He put his ears back and launched himself, snapping and snarling at Alex who retreated up to perch on the back of the couch.

Graeme shook his finger at him. "Dude," he said with a knowing smirk, "do you really want to use that kind of language on the one guy that can turn you back?"

Dodger whined.

There was a sharp knock and then the door opened. "Hey, you guys decent?" Ariana called out.

"Would it matter to you if we were?" Graeme snorted. He stopped in mid-turn. "ARI! There are GUYS in here, you know. If Dad catches you running around like that, he's going to hit the roof!"

Pirouetting in the doorway, Ariana let them all get a good look her outfit -- baby blue bikini bottoms and a matching midriff top with a daisy on it. Mawson obligingly let loose with an appreciative wolf whistle. "That's the general idea," she said coyly. Look, the girls and I are putting on our suits and going down to the arboretum for a little informal pool party. Owen's having some food sent up and everything. You guys want to come?"

"Sure!"

Happa rolled his eyes. "I should have expected something like this. Midori was showing her collection of swimsuits to the other girls on the plane."

"Hmm," Mawson mused, "things are looking up." He smiled at Ariana in a way that made Graeme's fingers itch for his nunchuks.

While the others had been talking, Dodger had been trying futilely to jump up on the couch with his shorter canine legs. He finally managed it and clawed his way up to the back of the couch. Cocking his head, he gave a funny growling yelp and stared at Ariana with his tongue hanging out.

"Hey!" Ariana exclaimed. "Where'd you get the little dog?"

"Oh, that," Alex said with a shrug. "The guys wanted to see me do some magic so I transformed that wrought iron doorstop that Mom stuck in here, you know, the one that looks like a Scottish terrier."

Graeme casually glanced at Happa, who shifted his stance so one of his enormous feet concealed the doorstop in question. "It's not a bad trick, is it, _oneechan_?"

"No, it's not bad at all." She leaned over and scratched the dog's ears. "He sort of reminds me of Dodger. Say, where is he, anyway?" Ariana asked as she picked him up. "Lucy was worried that you two might be fighting in here."

Graeme shrugged and jerked his head towards the bathroom door. "He's in the john. I wouldn't be surprised if he's drinking out of the toilet."

"Eeeeuw…. there's a mental image I did not need." Ariana shifted the scruffy pup in her arms. "Do you mind if I show him to the girls, Alex? He's so cute!" She tickled Dodger-dog's tummy and he churned his stubby legs in the air. "Yes, he is! He's just a cutie-wootie-patootie, yes, um is!" Dodger squirmed around until he had his head pillowed comfortably on Ariana's chest. He shot a cocky look at Graeme, barked, and wagged his tail shamelessly.

"Go ahead," Alex offered with a practiced expression of innocence on his face. "I'm sure they'll get a kick out of it." He and Graeme kept up the act until the door closed behind her. Suppressed laughter burst out almost immediately.

Mawson let out a huge breath and fell off the couch, laughing all the way down. "Crikey! How could you do that to him?" He swiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "Is Dodger aware of what's going on while he's like that?"

"Of course," Alex answered. "Why else would he go without a fight?"

"Let's give it a few more seconds," Graeme suggested.

"Why?" Happa asked.

Li Kao spoke up. "I see where they are going with this," he said with a chuckle, "they mean to let Dodger get a glimpse of heaven before giving him a taste of hell." Yong looked confused but the Chinese gargoyle explained it for him. "The females are changing their clothes. I wouldn't mind a glimpse of that, wouldn't you?"

"Timing is everything – knowing Ari, she's probably got everyone looking at Dodger right… about… now." Graeme smirked. "Okay, Alex. Drop the spell."

Muttering a few words under his breath, Alex's eyes flared bright green and he snapped his fingers. There was a pause for a half a heartbeat and then the screaming started. Dull thumps and crashes came from across the hallway. A door slammed open and the squeak of leather on tile preceded frantic footfalls coming closer. Graeme opened the door just in time for Dodger to hurl himself inside, a decorative pillow covering his privates. He glared at Graeme and Alex.

"You… rotten… little… BLEEDERS," Dodger managed to rasp out between gasps. "They were down to their knickers when I popped back to full size!"

Graeme leaned in. "Gotcha."

"I oughta –"

"You ought to get on some pants before Ari remembers that was you she had snuggled up to her chest." He grinned evilly. "Little sis swings a mean stick."

Dodger caught the clothes that Mawson lobbed in his direction. "Yeah?" he grunted as he shoved his foot down the leg of his pants. "Hate to tell you this, biscuit, but your sister ain't so little any more." He gave Graeme a lascivious grin through his whiskers. "Not from th' view I had!"

"Don't make me bounce my nunchuks off that hard head of yours."

A heavy object hit the bedroom door. "DODGER!" Ariana shrieked. "I'm gonna make a rug out of you!"

"Time to go, gents." The scruffy Londoner looked around. "Hey! What do you mean, havin' a room without a window?"

"Oh, I've got something better," Graeme said as he headed towards a tapestry on the wall. He swept it aside to reveal a hidden door, which opened to reveal a dark tunnel. "There are hidden passages all over Castle Wyvern and I was lucky enough to score a room with one. Happa, you and Yong might have to go through sideways."

Happa peered into the dark tunnel skeptically. "Are you sure?"

"GRAEME! You open this door RIGHT now!" Other angry voices could be heard out in the hallway. "And Alex? I **_know_** you did this!"

Lucy's voice rang out. "Damn it, Dodger! What were you thinking?"

"I'm sure that it's safer in the tunnel than on the other side of that door."

Alex slipped past Graeme and conjured up a floating ball of glowing green protoplasm. "Oh, come on!" Alex said with a vicious grin. "I'm not afraid of few cobwebs. You big, bad gargs aren't afraid of being shown up by a weak, wingless human, are you?" He didn't wait for a response but disappeared into the secret passage.

"I'm not takin' that from a half-grown wizard!" Dodger pushed his way through the crowd and put one foot through the doorway. "Not until I've got even with 'im. You lot comin' or what?" He stuck his whiskered chin out belligerently.

"I'm in," Mawson said, quickly crossing the room. "Kirima's got a cool head most of the time but she doesn't sound happy out there."

"Of course, she's not," Dodger called over his shoulder as he followed Alex into the dark. "Kiri was totally starkers when I did me little comin' out trick."

"Uh-oh…" Mawson ducked into the hole after the Londoner. "She may look soft and fuzzy but her fangs and claws are sharp and pointy. Your life isn't worth seal shite, mate."

"Story of me life."

The door shook violently. "You guys had better open this door or I'm calling MOM!"

"Why doesn't she just break it down?" Li Kao asked. In spite of his distrust of humans, he had made his way over to their escape route.

"The last time Ari broke a door, she had to work in the castle kitchens for a month to pay off the repairs."

"Just a min!" Lucy called out. "I found my nail file!"

"Nail file?" Li Kao raised a brow ridge. "What can she--?

The door knob rattled and began to turn.

"That's it!" Graeme shoved Li Kao into the tunnel and began to push Yong in after him. "Lucy's picking the lock. They're coming in!" He looked frantically at Happa. "A hand here? Please?"

"Here you go, Ari-_chan_!" Midori said brightly. "I found your bo staff! It was under the bed next to your baseball bat!"

Graeme and Happa exchanged a panicked look.

**_"IT'S HAMMERIN' TIME!"_**

Before Ariana's voice stopped echoing, the boys were into the passage and slamming the door behind them.

On the other side of the door, Ariana held a finger up to her lips as she listened for motion inside Graeme's room. Lucy had both hands clamped over her furry muzzle as she tried to stifle the insane giggles that kept trying to bubble out. Some of the other girls were in similar difficulties. Finally, Ariana held up her hand.

"There," she said softly, "I heard the door shut. They're on their way out."

"How'd you know what they'd do?" Lucy asked curiously. "I mean, Graeme never mentioned that he had a secret passage in his room."

"Oh, that." Ariana rolled her eyes. "When he's on the computer and he's got his headphones on, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade could march right through Graeme's room and he'd never know. I was storing some of my costumes in his closet and I noticed that the tapestry was hanging funny. The hem had been caught in the door." She checked the chronometer on her armband. "It's going to take them at least twenty minutes to get past that place where I narrowed the passage. Owen should have everything ready in the atrium by now so let's go and enjoy ourselves."

"I can't believe that they actually thought they could get away with it," Lucy said, shaking her head. "I mean, honestly – Dodger's face stayed the same! He actually winked at me, the randy little bugger!"

"And you were a real sport, Kirima," Ariana told the fur-trimmed blue female standing in the doorway of her room. "The look on Dodger's face when you dropped your towel and screamed was priceless – thanks so much! It was perfect!"

"It was nothing." Kirima shrugged as she adjusted the straps of her borrowed swimsuit. Coming from Antarctica, she didn't have any clothes appropriate for summer but fortunately, the London clan females were able to outfit her from their closets. A little too well – the pearl white one-piece that Kirima was wearing fit like a second skin. "We live in tight quarters in my home clan. Everyone's seen everyone else naked – I don't know what all the fuss is about."

Lucy giggled. "Confidentially, for all his posturing, Dodger has always been a little shy around girls. You probably scared the dickens out of him!"

"As it should be!" Midori said cheerfully. "If we girls don't keep the upper hand, who will!"

The Japanese female had on a short black kimono robe but underneath it was a shocking pink bikini to match her hair. In spite of her western ways, Midori had managed to win over both Kwan Lin and Jin-ho. The Chinese and Korean females had been overwhelmed with their new surroundings. Lucy had been impressed with how gently and cleverly Midori was able to coax the shy girls into wearing some of her more conservative swimsuits. Even now, she had her arms linked through theirs, chatting away as if the three of them were old friends instead of new acquaintances.

Lucy caught another glimpse of Kirima out of the corner of her eye and unconsciously she sighed. The Antarctic gargoyle looked sleek and elegant and Lucy was beginning to regret her choice in swimwear. She was wearing her favorite – a funky royal blue one piece with a modified British flag screen printed over it – but compared to the others, she felt like a schoolgirl in a gym uniform.

"Hey." Ariana bumped into her with her shoulder. "You look great. Graeme's gonna freak."

Narrowing her eyes, Lucy shot back, "What's this? Are you reading my mind?"

"No," Ariana laughed, "but Graeme had the exact same expression on his face earlier when we were up on the helipad waiting for everyone to arrive."

"Really?" Lucy giggled back. "He did look rather fit."

"You might want to tell him so. _Oneesan_ can be such a worrywart at times." Ariana rolled her eyes and snorted. "Boys."

"Well, when I see him again," Lucy said, "I'll be very complementary. How long did you say it should take them to get through the tunnel?"

"Twenty minutes or so."

Graeme's group showed up dust-covered and disgruntled just as the girls were lounging by the pool and lingering over their desserts. Ariana didn't miss a spoonful of her ice cream as she watched them walking in. "So," she said as she licked her lip clean, "what kept you?"

Graeme glowered at his sister. "You know damn well why," he growled irritably. "That was not funny, Ari, collapsing the tunnel like that!"

"Oh, and transforming Dodger in the middle of my bedroom was?"

"That was Alex, not me!"

"Oh, please!" Ariana snorted. "He may have done the hocus-pocus, but you're the one that did the timing." She smirked at the other girls. "You'll have to watch it around my brother; he's a regular schemer."

"A thousand pardons," the golden Korean female, Jin-ho, spoke up in a sweet high voice like a bell, "but where is Yong?" She was craning her neck to look around them. "Is not my rookery brother with you?"

At once, all the young males seemed to find something else interesting to look at. Dodger and Li Kao made their way to the buffet. Happa began to brush the dust off his tunic. Mawson began chuckling with his arms cradling his stomach. Graeme and Alex deliberately looked away from each other.

Ariana made a face. "Graeme! What did you do?"

"I did nothing!" He feigned wide-eyed innocence and pointed to Alex. "He did it!"

Still laughing, Mawson sat down on the end of Ariana's chaise lounge. "Here," he said grandly, "I understand you collect toys." He reached into his vest and took out a very small and very angry Korean gargoyle. Yong was no longer the massive creature that he once was; he was barely the length of Ariana's forearm.

"Omigosh, he's an action figure!"

Jin-ho's mouth dropped open. "Yong!" She crossed the space between them in less than a heartbeat. "What has happened to you?" Yong began a heated tirade in Korean, his voice tiny and high-pitched, and her eyes widened. She put her hand over her mouth but the corners of her lips were twitching.

"Before you get started, _oneechan_," Graeme said, smirking at Ariana, "this one is all your fault, thanks to that section of wall you messed with. Yong got stuck so Alex shrunk him and Mawson carried him out."

"I've got a nice big pocket for stowing game in," Mawson explained. He held his vest open for Ariana. "Wanna see?"

"Naw, I think I'll pass." Giggling, Ariana took Yong from Mawson and hugged him like a stuffed animal. Yong growled ominously. "Awww…," she told him, "what's the matter? Shall I give you a kiss and make it all better?"

"Go ahead, Ari-_chan_!" Midori said encouragingly. "I'd like to see that!"

Yong said something in Korean that made Jin-ho hide a smile. "My rookery brother says he doesn't care what you do as long as someone does something soon!" She giggled self-consciously. "Yong has been one of the biggest in our clan for so long, I think being so small makes him uncomfortable."

"Is that all?" Ariana winked at Alex who returned her gesture with a knowing smirk. "I can fix that right now." She aimed a kiss at the top of Yong's head and the moment that her lips touched his scalp, Alex sneezed to cover his spellcasting.

Expanding rapidly like a helium balloon, Yong went from being a toy in Ariana's arms to being a convenient place for her to perch. Laughing, Ariana draped herself over his shoulder for the amusement of the others.

**_"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!" _**

Everyone's heads turned to see Brooklyn and Sata coming into the arboretum. Sata, clad in a white bikini and matching wrap, had come prepared to enjoy the party but Brooklyn's expression was decidedly displeased.

Ariana instantly recoiled and flipped her wings around herself. "Uh-oh," she said as she patted Yong's shoulder, "you'd better put me down now."

Brooklyn strode up to Yong and glared up into the young Korean gargoyle's face. "That's MY daughter you've got there," he said coldly. "Just what do you think you're doing with her?"

"Now, now," Ariana said, sliding down even before her father finished talking. "Honestly, Daddy, it's not what you think." She looked up at him through her bangs and twisted one of her braids around her fingers. "We were just having a little fun."

"Uh huh… now why don't I believe that?" Brooklyn cocked a brow ridge at her. "What's with the wings?"

"What, this?" Ariana giggled as if she hadn't a care in the world. "It's a little chilly out here by the pool – don't you think so?"

Lucy leaned it towards Graeme where he sat on the end of her chaise lounge. "What are they going on about?"

Graeme smirked. "Dad's been in denial ever since Ariana developed breasts. He freaks whenever she wears anything he considers too racy."

As if on cue, Brooklyn bellowed, "What? No daughter of mine is going to show THAT much skin!"

"But, Da-a-a-a-ad…! You're one to talk – you still wear a loincloth!"

"Oh, dear." Lucy smiled self-consciously. "I know that story – I don't mind Dad blustering but Caspian can be so annoying. I'll be glad when he moves to Paris."

"Paris?"

"Michael is in negotiations to reestablish a gargoyle colony there. The last of the Parisian clan came to London during the French Revolution so we carry that bloodline."

"Really?" Before Graeme could learn more, a strident beeping came from his arm band. It was echoed by Ariana's arm band and by Brooklyn's gauntlet.

"Party's over, kids!" Brooklyn snapped out. "Intruder alert!" He and Sata were halfway to the door before he stopped talking.

"Action stations!" Ariana called out. "Girls, with me – guys, with Graeme."

"Right," Graeme agreed. "This way – we'll go out through the west doors." He led the way at a fast trot down the arboretum path to the high arched doors that opened out onto the garden courtyard. There were search lights casting back and forth over the launchpad two levels above them.

Ariana jumped up on the ledge. "We'll circle the castle and thermal up. C'mon!" She extended her wings and launched herself out into the void.

Happa and Dodger had no problem following her lead, with Mawson and Kirima soon after them but the others were having second thoughts when they got their first view of Central Park South at over a hundred stories high. Graeme's first clue was Lucy's fingers twining around his and getting a death grip on his hand.

"You weren't kidding when you said the Eyrie Building was tall," she joked nervously. "I never expected this!"

Midori had been momentarily stunned speechless by the view but she rallied bravely. "This is much higher than anything we have in Sendai City," she said, referring to the bustling metropolis within flying distance of Ishimura, "but it's not so bad." She turned and gestured to Jin-ho and Kwan Lin. "Come on – let's go!"

"Listen, everybody," Graeme called out, "the first time, it's best to just close your eyes and jump. Glide around the building clockwise until you hit a big thermal. It'll lift you right up – trust me!"

With that, Graeme squeezed Lucy's hand and dove straight down, looping up with practiced ease while she shrieked in his ear. He grinned at her. "Scaredy cat."

"As if!" Lucy sniffed. "It's the first moment we've had alone since I got here." She loosened her grip on his hand long enough to intertwine their fingers.

Graeme's cheeks grew hot. "You want to sneak away for a bit?" He couldn't believe that the words had actually come out of his mouth; Ariana was the one with impulse control, not him.

"We really shouldn't –" Her voice was reluctant but there was a tantalizing glow in her golden eyes.

"Dad never said that he needed us," he said hopefully. "Ari and her crew can help him if necessary."

"That's true….," Lucy bit her lip wistfully. "I've always wanted to see New York with you."

Midori soared by with the Korean and Chinese gargoyles as her wingmen. Graeme nodded at them. "See? They won't miss us for a while. What do you say?"

"All right then." She smiled back but seemed to be just as flustered by her boldness.

As soon as the others had risen to the launch pad level, Graeme peeled off, pivoting on a wingtip and heading north over Central Park. A bubbling laugh made him glance over at Lucy and he was glad that he had acted on a whim. There would be repercussions for abandoning his duty, but at that moment, it didn't matter in the least.

_**To be continued in Part IV…**_


	4. Wyvern Junior Leadership Summit II

**When Graeme Met Lucy…**

A TGS-based story

By C.S. Hayden

Characters from the "Gargoyles" show are the property of Disney and Buena Vista Television. Happa is borrowed with permission from the fanfics of Kimberly T. All other characters are from The Gargoyles Saga fanfiction series.

**Part IV**– **The Wyvern Junior Leadership Summit**

**Manhattan, 2010**

The metal doors crashed open against the rough stones of the castle wall. A dark-haired woman in a red jacket rushed out, gun held low at the ready. "What's going on?" she demanded. "I heard the alarms halfway up the express elevator!"

"We're not sure, Elisa," Goliath said as she joined her. "All our guests have arrived, or so we thought."

"I don't see anybody," Elisa shouted. "Is it a false alarm?"

"Cut the lights!" Goliath bellowed over the klaxons. "And do something about that noise!"

"I'm on it!" Lexington shouted back as he accessed a hidden control panel. The skylights and alarms shut off a few seconds later. "Sorry – something triggered the security systems. I'll access the A.I. and see what's going on." He reached behind his ear for his computer access cable.

"Hold off on that." Brooklyn had his nose up, sniffing the air. "What is that?" His head swiveled around as he followed the scent. He froze, staring directly at a deep shadow near the helipad.

There was a brief movement in the shadow as the intruder became aware of their observation. Goliath strode forward. "Come out," he said sternly, "we know you are there."

"S-stay back!" The voice was strangely sibilant but high-pitched and soft. "I will defend myself!" Her silhouette was slim and she swayed like a tree in the wind.

Goliath narrowed his eyes as he peered into the darkness. "That will depend on you," he said. "We do not welcome intruders here."

A loop of serpentine tail slithered out of the shadows and slid back in when Ariana and the first wave of young gargoyles arrived, chattering excitedly amongst themselves as they perched on the parapet walls. Goliath silenced them with one look over his shoulder.

Angela came up besides him. "I think she's frightened." She called out, "It's okay – we're not going to hurt you. Come out so we can see you."

Slowly, the serpentine tail reappeared. It was nearly as wide as a human's torso at the base, with several feet of tapering coils. Sinuously, the rest of the body emerged. The wide scales on the front of the body were ivory but the rest formed a mosaic patterns in colors from a metallic bronze to a greenish-grey. From the waist up, she was humanoid wearing leather armor, two metal forearm gauntlets with protruding blades like giant snake fangs, and a metal helmet that resembled a gargoyle's head including side fins that looked like curved ears. Feathered wings completed her unusual features.

"My name is Scylla," the newcomer said haltingly. "You invited me." Her scales hissed as she nervously coiled up her tail around her.

Goliath took a step towards her and she flinched away from him like a deer in headlights. "Let me, Father," Angela murmured as she caped her wings to make herself seem less imposing. "You remind me of some of the beings that we met on New Olympus. We sent an invitation to Icarus but we never got a response."

Scylla swayed slightly. "I know… Icarus presented your proposal to the council but everyone argued against it. Taurus and Icarus are the only ones that have ever been to the outside world." She reached into her gauntlet and took out a folded piece of paper. "I volunteered -- Icarus gave his permission."

"Then how did you get here?" Angela prompted gently.

"Taurus took one of the shielded ships out," Scylla answered. "He said that I would benefit from your guidance but if you don't want me to stay, he gave me a contact button." She began to dig in the satchel slung over her shoulder. "He said he'd be offshore for a few hours."

"Wait!" Angela turned back to the others. "She's come such a long way, Father, and she came on her own. I think shows courage and strength of character, don't you?"

"It does indeed," Goliath rumbled. "What do you think, Elisa?" he asked, deferring to his human mate.

"If Taurus vouched for her," Elisa said, "then that's good enough for me." She came forward and held her hand to the New Olympian. "I'm Elisa Maza -- welcome to Manhattan."

Scylla stared at Elisa's hand for a few moments. It was clear that she wasn't sure what to do. Giving a quick twist of the wrist, the blade on her right arm slid up into her gauntlet. "I was told that humans have this custom," she said as she accepted Elisa's hand very tentatively. "This is correct, yes?"

Elisa shook her hand very quickly and released it. "Yes, it is. I think you'll fit in just fine." She glanced over her shoulder and Ariana came over. "I'm going to let Ariana take over – she's hosting the girls and her brother Graeme is hosting the boys." She looked around. "Graeme?"

"He was right behind me," Ariana said, glancing about. "That's weird."

"Graeme-_kun_?" Sata was counting heads anxiously. "Brooklyn, he's not here."

"Hang on," Dodger called out. "Lucy's gone too." He gave a barking laugh. "Don't you get it? The lovebirds have flown the coop."

"'Lovebirds?'" Mawson asked curiously.

"I thought as much," Midori said from her perch on the parapets with the others. "They turned back towards the park, just before we hit the thermals."

"They met in Ishimura at the first World Gathering," Happa said. "I didn't realize that Graeme and Lucy were still in contact."

"Please!" Ariana rolled her eyes. "If anything, they're tighter than ever." She turned to Scylla. "We might as well go back down to the party. C'mon, I'll give you the scenic tour of the castle."

Goliath shook his head. "This isn't like Graeme," he rumbled. "What could he be thinking?"

"Well," Lexington said, "if you'll recall, this originally got started because Graeme wanted to bring Lucy over for a visit. Don't you think we should cut the kid some slack, just for tonight?"

"Besides," Brooklyn said, not taking his eyes off his gauntlet display, "his transponder's on. I'll keep an eye on him."

Sata grabbed his arm and looked at the readout. "Are you sure?"

"He's fine," Brooklyn said and smiled at his mate. "I know exactly where he's going."

o o o O O O O o o o

Lucy couldn't remember when she'd had this much fun. Graeme had whisked her away from the Eyrie building and sent them soaring high over Central Park. They'd startled the animals in the zoo and had been serenaded by a chorus of roars and howls. Sailing over Sheep's Meadow, Lucy began to wonder where Graeme was taking her. They passed a lake with a boathouse and a wild, rambling stretch of trees. She could see some sandy areas far ahead and as soon as she recognized them, she gave a little laugh.

"Honestly, Graeme," she teased, "I know you're hooked on baseball, but we should've brought the others."

"Nope, not tonight." His fingers tightened around hers. "Close your eyes for a moment – I've got a surprise for you."

"You're not going to fly me into a tree, are you?"

"I don't plan on it."

Closing her eyes, Lucy let Graeme guide her over the warm air currents coming off of the trees below. They shifted to the left – westerly, she decided – and the currents shifted. She didn't need to see to know that they were gliding in towards some kind of building. The air patterns themselves told her that; even a novice flyer could sense the changes. Before she could shift around for a landing, Graeme pulled her in for a mid-air scoop into his arms.

"Graeme!" She was pleasantly surprised as she instinctively put her arms around his neck – his chest and shoulders had become more muscled since their last meeting in London.

"Keep your eyes closed – almost there!" His voice sounded breathless with excitement.

A rush of wind blew her hair around Lucy's face as they descended. She smelled a cacophony of flowers, the mustiness of stones, and the sharp green scent of duckweed. Graeme landed with light bounding steps, his feet thumped hollowly on whatever surface was beneath them. Gently, he put her down.

"Okay, you can open them."

Lucy's jaw dropped. It was like she had awoke in a tiny fairy tale kingdom in the middle of the busiest city in the world. They were standing at the top of what appeared to be a Victorian folly; there had been one on the Marter estate that had been partially destroyed during World War II. In the reconstruction that followed after the Unseelie attacks of the late nineties, Leo and several of the other elders decided to restore the Marter folly. As Una adroitly put it, it kept her father and his cronies out from underfoot.

"It's gorgeous, Graeme," she breathed finally. "Where did you bring me?"

"This is Belvedere Castle," he said with a nervous smile. "It's the second highest place in the park." He led her up the walkway to the tower. "This overlooks the Turtle Pond and the Great Lawn on this side," he pointed back the way they'd came, "and the Shakespeare Garden and Sheep's Meadow are over there."

"It's lovely." Lucy sighed blissfully and leaned against the ledge. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"Actually, I didn't bring you here for the view." He rubbed the back of his head, making his hair stand up even more.

"Really?" Lucy turned to face him. "And what reason would that be?"

He put his hands on her waist and lifted her up on the wall. "I thought it would be the perfect place for a first kiss."

Lucy nearly laughed. "We did that already, silly."

"Yeah, but that was in London," Graeme said. "This is our first kiss in New York." There was a certain seriousness in his manner – a glint in his eye, an arch of his brow – that hadn't been there before and it gave Lucy a delicious shiver all the way down to her toes. Before she could say anything, Graeme's beak was on her muzzle and they were kissing as if they had never been apart.

The kiss at Belvedere Castle had only been the beginning. Graeme took Lucy on a whirlwind tour of the city landmarks – the Empire State building, the Chrysler Building, Times Square, and Chinatown – but the place that he absolutely had to take her to was down in the Village. He just knew that it would be the perfect place to finish their date.

"This is it," he called out as he and Lucy circled the building. "What do you think?"

"'The Rockaway?'" Lucy read off the marquee on the roof. "What is it? Is it a theater?"

"It was once," Graeme said as they touched down, a tricky maneuver with the metal tables and chairs clustered around the perimeter. "As I understand it, the Rockaway has been a lot of things. It's been a movie house and a speakeasy but now it's a nightclub. You'll love it here!"

"We're going in?" Lucy grabbed his arm. "But I thought that New York wasn't gargoyle friendly yet – you're always telling me how much trouble you still have here."

Graeme grinned. "Not at the Rockaway – it's a very friendly place." He reached over and rang the bell.

It was a minute or two before someone responded. "Yeah? Who's up there?"

"It's me, Graeme and I've a got a guest."

The speaker crackled. "Gimmee a minute – I'll send someone up."

Lucy raised a brow. "Suspicious lot, aren't they?"

"Just cautious," Graeme said mildly. "We're not the only guests that come in from the roof."

"You're kidding, right?"

Before he could answer, they both heard loud footsteps coming up the stairwell. The heavy door swung open and a short human girl dressed from head to toe in black stood there. A brunette with long bangs that almost covered her eyes, she was wearing a lacy top over a velvet bra and a short pleated skirt with fishnet tights and combat boots. The most unusual thing was that she had a pair of cat's ears peeking through her hair and a long furry tail. Lucy supposed that it was some sort of human fad – they got all sorts back home at the magic shop.

"Graemster!" the girl called out, flinging her arms out. "It's been too long!"

"Hey, Winnie," Graeme replied pleasantly. "How's tricks?"

"I haven't turned anyone into a frog all day," Winnie shot back, "but the night's still young." She looked Lucy over and grinned even wider. "Well, well… who's this?"

"This is Lucy – she's visiting from London."

"No kidding – with that Union Jack on her chest, I would have never guessed."

Lucy suddenly felt horribly underdressed. Until Winnie had commented on it, she hadn't given her swimsuit a second thought. "Oh, dear," she murmured. "Graeme, I don't know that I'm properly dressed to come in here."

"That's very true, chicky-poo," Winnie agreed. "Fortunately, that's why we keep a collection of wearables up here for our discerning gargie guests." She waved them in. "C'mon, I'll set you up."

Following Winnie down the metal stairwell, they wound up in a narrow hallway with several doors. There seemed to be a dull throb vibrating through the floor that made Lucy's toes itch. Winnie shoved Graeme playfully towards a door marked 'The Balcony.' "Go on," she said," you go order drinks and munchies. I'll take care of Miz Lucy. G'wan – shoo!"

"Graeme?"

He waved at her as he reached for the door handle. "It's okay – you'll be fine."

Winnie went a little farther down the hall and unlocked a small room. "Here we go," she said as she went inside and turned on the light by pulling a ball chain that was dangling from the ceiling. "Welcome to Winnie's Wardrobe of Wonders!"

The room wasn't much bigger than a walk-in closet but it was packed from top to bottom. There were racks on both sides and the back wall was divided into labeled compartments with plastic bins. Lucy was reminded of the clan's collection of clothes, except that they had considerably more.

"Okay, all the women's fashions are on the left," Winnie began as she started rifling through the hangers, "and all the men's stuff is on the right."

"Where did you get it all from?" Lucy fingered a low-cut gold dress that looked like it was made from glittering snakeskin.

"Oh, this is all from the lost and found box." Winnie took a bright pink outfit out, looked at Lucy, shook her head and put it back. "You'd be surprised what people will leave behind. Once or twice a year, we box it up and send it off to the charity of the week but since Graeme's clan started coming around, we started saving a few things and keeping them up here."

"That's generous of you."

"Hey, it saves us having to haul it up the stairs whenever Lex drops by without his pants."

Winnie giggled and Lucy was startled to see the cat ears twitch back and forth. "Poor guy, those wings make it tough to dress the part here but my boss has a strict 'no shirt, no shoes, no service' policy."

"No… shoes?" Lucy looked at her feet. "But---"

"Well, we fudge a bit on that one for you guys. Oooh… perfect!!" Winnie came up with a short pleated skirt in bright red. "This will go great with what you're already wearing. Here," she took it off the hanger and handed it over, "try it on."

Winnie politely turned away and began digging through a plastic bin while Lucy stepped into the skirt. It actually wasn't a bad fit, she had to admit, even though it wasn't something that she normally wore.

"Oh, yeah!" Winnie turned back with some big red and blue bangle bracelets wide enough for a gargoyle's wrist. "We'll just add these and you're ready to go! Perfecto!"

"Thank you." Lucy paused for a moment. "You're being awfully nice about this."

"Please!!" Winnie rolled her eyes. "Good karma comes around, I say." She laughed. "Besides, I'll bet you happened to be 'THE' Lucy that Graeme's always talking about, right? That automatically puts you on my VIP list!"

"How did you know?" Lucy asked curiously, flattered that a complete stranger would know her.

"Hey, as often as Graeme brings his laptop in here and sits in the corner to chat with you, how could I not?" She laughed and her tail lazily swished around her legs. "It's cute, it really is." Leading the way out across the hall, Winnie opened the door to the Balcony. "Now, let's see what your boyfriend thinks, hmm?"

Lucy stepped through the door into a wall of sound so solid that it was almost blinding. It took a few seconds for her to get her bearings; luckily, the Balcony was softly lit with antique wall lamps and candles on the tables. It was furnished with paisley sofas grouped for conversation, several small tables, and a row of old wooden telephone booths. One of these had an 'In Service' sign lit up and Lucy could only imagine what might be going on.

"Wow!" Graeme jumped up from the table he'd procured overlooking the stage. "You look great!" He tripped over a chair but recovered nicely. "I got us a primo spot! The band's really good tonight!

"It's awfully loud!" Lucy said as she took her seat.

"What?"

"Is it always this LOUD?" Her ears instinctively mashed themselves flat against her head.

Graeme leaned in. "You'll get used to it!"

"You're kidding?"

"No, really!" His beak was brushing her cheek. "You're lucky that they're winding down – some of the bands they book in here can get REALLY loud!"

Winnie arrived with a loaded tray. "Awww…. you two are so adorable, I may just squee!!" She set down two glasses of a dark liquid and a large basket of assorted foods. "Okay, that's two Rockaway Reds and a gargoyle-sized batch of wings, skins, and poppers. Enjoy!!"

Wings, skins and poppers turned out to be spicy chicken wings, baked potato skins with cheese, sour cream and onions, and breaded cheese-stuffed jalapenos. Lucy ate the spicy food sparingly but Graeme happily crunched up the chicken wings bones and all. The beverages went down so smoothly that it wasn't until Lucy was on the second one that she realized she was drinking beer.

"Graeme!" she said as she stared at her glass. "Ariana said that we weren't allowed to have alcohol!"

"Yeah, AT the castle" he said as he waggled his brows, "but not here at the Rockaway."

"Grrrrrrraeme…" She tried to sound reproachful but deep down there was a small part of her that resented always having to lead by example. Just once, she reasoned, it might be nice to rebel just a bit. "Do we dare?" she finally asked.

"Ooooh, let's!" Graeme shot back, imitating her accent.

o o o O O O O o o o

"So, Scylla," Ariana said in an effort to break the ice, "you're from New Olympus. I've never been there but I've heard about it. What's it like?"

"It is a place," Scylla said, her voice echoing hollowly in her helmet, "like any other." She had followed them back to the arboretum where Alex was sprawled out on a chaise lounge asleep. The New Olympian had taken one look at him and wrapped her coils so tightly around her that she stood as rigid as a tree. The rest of the young gargoyles had retreated to the food tables where they could study the newcomer from a distance.

Unfortunately, as hostess, Ariana didn't have that luxury. Casting a desperate look at Midori, she tried again. "Angela said that New Olympus was originally populated by Oberon's Children and that a lot of them resemble beings from ancient mythology."

Scylla stood perfectly still for a moment. "I suppose that is true," she said, lisping slightly on the sibilant consonants. "Icarus procured a number of human books on his journeys to the outside world. In ancient times, before humans began to slaughter our kind, certain of us were memorialized in literature. We have many different clans on New Olympus besides gargoyles."

"Centaurs?" Midori asked, gamely joining the conversation. "They were my favorites among the Greek myths."

"Yes," Scylla answered, turning her head so that the sharp beak of her helmet pointed straight at her. "One of my teachers was a centaur named Kyrios. He taught astronomy and mathematics."

"You know, Scylla," Midori began sweetly, "I am dying to see the color of your eyes. Would you mind terribly if you took the helmet off?" She tilted her head to one side. "Please?"

"It would be nice if you would," Ariana added. "We're supposed to be getting to know each other after all."

Slowly and deliberately, Scylla reached up under the edge of her jaw piece and detached it with a loud click. She leaned forward to slip off her helmet so her face was hidden for a moment. When she lifted her face, everyone stepped back. A delicate pattern of scales framed the edges of her face, going back to what had seemed to be hair, but was actually long, tapering quills growing out of her scalp. Her nose was merely a slight ridge in the center of her face with two slits for nostrils and likewise her lips were thin and barely noticeable. What held everyone's attention, however, were her eyes – they were pale green with gold surrounding diamond-shaped pupils. Staring into Scylla's eyes had the strange effect of the world slowly drifting away.

"Stop!!" Scylla slapped her tail on the tiles hard enough to rattle the dishes on the table. Everyone blinked and drew a sudden breath. "You mustn't look directly at my eyes! It can be very dangerous!" She turned her face away, glancing nervously at them but clearly taking care not to mesmerize them again.

"I'm sorry," Midori said gently. "We didn't mean to stare."

"Yeah," Ariana said, "I mean, I don't know about everyone else but I couldn't help myself. How'd you do that?"

Scylla shrugged. "I don't know. It's something I inherited from my father – he could do it too. No one else in the clan can."

"Well," Mawson said as he ambled up, "it would be a damned useful skill to have out on the ice. There've been times that I would have given anything to put a leopard seal in a trance like that." He smiled, his protruding tusks giving him a rakish air. "You must come visit us in Antarctica."

"I wish I could," Scylla said with a shy smile, the first that anyone had seen since her arrival, "but I do not do well in the cold. Father and I always moved into the lower caverns in winter."

Mawson nodded. "That's only sensible – it's warm and snug in our clan's caverns no matter how cold it is outside. It's the peak of winter back home – that's why I was happy to come here. What's it like on New Olympus?"

"Well…" Scylla began hesitantly, "our island is shrouded in mists to conceal us from the outside world but the weather is very pleasant now. Our climate is temperate with a long rainy season in mid-winter." She gave a small hissing laugh. "I've only seen snow twice in my life and only then on the highest peaks."

"Only twice?" Mawson laughed and waved Kirima over. "Did you hear that, Kiri? We consider it a heat wave if we see bare ground."

The others joined in laughing at his joke. Ariana gave him a thumb's up from behind Scylla's back and Mawson winked back.

"I think you've made a friend there," Midori murmured. "If I were you, I'd be sure to thank him properly."

"Hey, you helped," Ariana answered back. "Thanks for smoothing things over."

"Sometimes it's necessary to stir the soup." Midori smiled at her friend's puzzled look. "It's something that Miya says – she says that the most important job that a hostess does is to help things move along, like when all the miso sinks to the bottom of the bowl."

Ariana nodded. "You have to stir the soup."

"Exactly." Midori glanced around the arboretum and noted the other Asian gargoyles clumped together. "So, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll mingle."

Dodger crossed the room. "So," he said with a rakish tilt of the head, "where d'you suppose Biscuit took Lu?"

"Yeah, I meant to ask about that," Mawson said, coming into the conversation, "Aren't they awfully young to be paired off?"

"Paired… off?" Scylla blinked. "I do not understand. I thought this was a leadership conference."

"That's what the adults decided to call it," Ariana said with a smirk, "but it all got started because Graeme wanted Lucy to come for a visit." She laughed. "They met on the Internet years ago but after they found out that they were both gargoyles, well, let's just say it got serious pretty quickly."

"Ah, I had wondered," Happa said as he came over with the rest of the Asian gargoyles. "I overheard Kai and Sakaki – that's our clan leader and rookery mother -- discussing this. You and Graeme do have a disadvantage, being the only two gargoyles of your age and too closely related to be mates."

"With my brother? Eeeuuw!" Ariana wrinkled her nose. "Unfortunately, that's one of things that came up once the World Council got involved."

"It's just another excuse to bung things up," Dodger snorted. "Remember th' mix-and-match mating disaster of 2007? They wanted to match Tiberius up with someone and he took to the hills."

"I remember that," Kirima said. "They wanted to put him with Aurora, our junior healer. To tell the truth, she wasn't that disappointed when the arrangements fell through."

"How is Aurora?" Ariana asked. "She was a lot of fun when she was staying here at the castle."

Kirima grinned like a knife. "That's what she said about Manhattan when the elders were making up their minds about this trip. They very nearly didn't let us come!"

"'You young scamps,'" Mawson said, drawing his face down comically so his tusks jutted out, "'aren't leaving the ice to have fun! The world is for serious people doing serious things!'" He rolled his eyes. "I'll spare you the litany about being contaminated by humans, blah-blah-blah."

"Your elders too?" Li Kao said, raising one brow ridge rakishly. "We were warned about humans as well." He glanced over at Alex who was snoring with his mouth open. "Somehow, they're not as menacing we were told to expect."

"They never are," Ariana laughed. "People are people, no matter what species. You have to judge for yourself."

o o o O O O O o o o

By the time the headliners had taken the stage, Graeme and Lucy had made their way downstairs to the dance floor. Lucy had protested but Graeme had taken her hand and pulled her into the crowd. The few people who objected to their presence had been firmly but politely removed by a dark-haired brooding man with headlight eyes.

"Don't worry," Graeme said by her ear, "Gomez is on the job. Nobody starts trouble in his club."

"He's the owner?" Lucy asked. "I thought he was the bouncer."

"Gomez is a hands-on kind of guy. He books the acts too."

Lucy glanced around carefully. Back in London, people no longer panicked when gargoyles passed overhead but even in the bohemian surroundings of the magic shop, humans were unlikely to be this friendly. The young people in the room were too involved with the music and each other to give them a second glance but she was surprised when several of them called out to Graeme.

"You seem popular," Lucy said loudly. "Do you do this often?"

"Not that much," Graeme replied just as loudly. "I love Indie Rock night though – a lot of people from school are into it."

"School?" Lucy grinned. "NYU let you in?"

"Yeah! It's going to take me a bit longer because I have to take all my classes at night or online but that's okay." Graeme swung her around jubilantly. "Higher education rocks!"

"You're such a geek."

The music dropped into a slow ballad and Graeme pulled her close. "But I'm your geek."

Lucy rubbed her cheek against his. "This is true."

Without saying a word, Graeme folded his wings around her. It was like being held with two sets of arms; Graeme's wings with their opposable 'hands' on the tip of his spurs were more flexible and dexterous than most gargoyles. Her feathered wings, by comparison, could only drape over her shoulders like a fluffy white cape. The significance of his gesture was lost on the humans around them but Lucy was deeply touched.

"Penny for your thoughts."

"Oh, tosh." Lucy stretched her arms over his shoulders. "You, sir, are being terribly bold tonight." She rubbed her nose against the end of his beak. "You weren't acting like this at the castle."

"Well, at the castle there's more of an audience."

Lucy threw back her head and laughed. "That's silly – this place is packed!"

"Yeah, but my sister isn't here or my parents or Dodger or any of those other guys that turned up," Graeme said. "I know Goliath means well but I only wanted to be with you."

"How do I know this is you or the beer talking?"

"Trust me, this is all me. Knowing Winnie, everything after the first or second round was non-alcoholic."

"Really?" She pouted. "I'm disappointed – I thought we were living on the wild side."

"You want wild?" Graeme grinned and maneuvered them off the dance floor. He led the way into the bar where a bald human in a tacky bowling shirt was mixing drinks. "Hey, Frank! Two Pugsleys!"

The bartender looked them both over with experienced eyes. He barely raised an eyebrow at their wings. "Dude, it's not Wednesday," he said slowly, "and I'm willing to bet that neither of you are legal."

"C'mon, Frank!" Graeme pulled a wallet out of his pocket and took a card out of it. "See? 'Born 1978' – that makes me thirty-two and she's the same age that I am."

"Uh-huh." Frank began putting glasses into a rack above his head. "Well, as I understand it, you guys age at half the rate of humans so if I did the math right, that makes you sixteen."

Graeme leaned over the bar. "Fraaaaank…," he said in a low, pleading tone, "it's her first time in New York! Lucy can't leave The Rockaway without having one of your Pugsleys."

Frank glanced down the bar at a hooded figured nursing a drink. "Well," he said, "it's your call."

Lucy and Graeme both looked down to see an olive green four-fingered hand lift a glass up to the face hidden by the hood. Graeme wrinkled his nose. "Lex? How come we didn't smell you?"

"As packed as it is in here, I'd be surprised if you did." Lexington swiveled around on the stool to face them.

Lucy bit back her impulse to laugh. He was dressed in a striped hooded jacket and the baggiest jeans that she'd ever seen. The strange thing, she realized as she took a delicate sniff, was that he had no discernable scent. A gargoyle's scent was as distinctive as a fingerprint; a gargoyle without a scent was like seeing a ghost.

"You didn't think you'd be missed, did you? If Brooklyn wasn't so occupied with all those young males hovering around your sister, he would have come himself."

"Huh?"

Lexington tapped his arm and pointed to Graeme. "He tracked you."

"Awww, man!" Graeme smacked the heel of his hand against his forehead. "I should have thought of that!"

"Tracked him?" Lucy asked. "How?"

Turning so she could see his armband, Graeme explained, "I've got a transponder in this thing. It's a redundant system from when we were still time-traveling. Dad's got a search-and-find function on his gauntlet."

"I hope you two are done here," Lexington said. "Goliath wasn't too happy to find you two gone but Brooklyn and I convinced him to cut you a break. We really should be going." He nodded to Frank. "Three for the road."

The bartender crooked an eyebrow back at him. "You sure?"

"I'll take full responsibility." Lexington sighed. "Besides, I am not facing Red Wind sober."

"Red Wind?" Lucy whispered.

"His Chinese mate," Graeme whispered back. Before he could explain further, Frank put three shot glasses filled with an iridescent liquid on the bar and, with a flick of his lighter, lit them. Pale blue flames danced on the surface of the drinks.

Laughing at Lucy's startled expression, Graeme said, "And that's why they're called 'Flaming Pugsleys.'"

Lexington took his and blew it out. "Cheers," he said and tossed it down. "Cotton candy and Crown Royal."

Graeme offered one to Lucy and then touched glasses with hers. "Here's to more nights like tonight," he said before extinguishing his drink and downing it. "Waaaaaaaaasabi! Woo!"

Puzzled by their reactions, Lucy followed suit. "Bottom's up," she said tentatively and drank her first Pugsley. Warm alcohol rushed over her tongue and wafted up into her sinuses. Just as she was preparing for the burning sensation down the back of her throat, it happened. The flavor of sweetly tart berries burst in her mouth and cool cream swirled around them. Wide-eyed, she swallowed and smiled at them. "Amazing! Raspberries and clotted cream! How did that happen?"

"Easy," Lexington said as he thrust his thumb at the bartender. "Frank Ester is a genius."

Frank buffed his nails on his shirt. "I prefer master mixologist, thank you."

"Nobody knows why," Graeme said, "but Pugsleys react differently to individual body chemistries."

"It's wonderful!" Lucy beamed at Frank. "Thank you!"

"I like her," Frank said, winking Graeme. "You have my blessing."

Graeme glared. "Stop channeling my mother!"

"That'll do," Lexington said sternly as he tossed some money on the bar. "You and Lucy head upstairs. I'll be there in a minute."

The crowd was thinning down as they made their way to the stairs. "It's odd," Lucy commented as they went up, "but why doesn't Lexington have any scent? I know he did earlier, back at the castle."

"Oh, that." Graeme made a face. "Lex probably had a fight with his mate. They haven't been getting along for months. When he wants to get away from her, he uses this stuff that he found down in the Xanatech R&D labs. You spray it on," he mimed the action, "and it neutralizes your scent." He shuddered. "I tried it once and it really creeped me out."

"I thought Red Wind was rather nice," Lucy said. "I could tell that the Chinese and Koreans were really overwhelmed but Red Wind was doing everything she could do to make them at home."

Graeme snorted. "That's ironic, because she wouldn't step foot out of the castle for nearly a month after she arrived. She used to flinch whenever a human came near her."

"Can you blame her? Kwan Lin told me that they rarely interact with humans in China and the Korean clan has been in hiding for years." Lucy shook her head. "You and I have an advantage, growing up with humans, but even we've had our troubles being accepted into the mainstream."

Winnie met them in the Balcony at the top of the stairs. "Hey, did Lex find you?"

"Yeah, he'll be along in a minute." Graeme nodded towards the door to the roof. "We're headed home."

"Did you have fun?" Winnie asked Lucy.

"Yes, I did," Lucy answered back. "It was delightful!"

"Here, you two kids go on up," Winnie said as she unlocked the door. "I can't wait to get Lex out of his pants." Her cat ears twitched back and forth as she giggled and went back into the club, her tail swishing lazily behind her.

"Okay," Lucy said as they came out onto the roof, "I didn't think it was polite to mention it before but what's up with the kitty ears and the tail? We get people with fur fetishes in London but those things are real!"

"Winnie probably gave you bonus points for not asking. She gets tired of people bugging her about it," Graeme said wryly. "The truth of it is that Winnie comes from a long line of witches. Gomez's wife, Tish, is her aunt and she's training her. The problem is that Winnie is accident-prone."

"Really?" Lucy took this news with ease; growing up with a sorceress for a mother and living above a magic shop made one believe in the unbelievable. "You mean she did this to herself?"

"She managed to transform into a cat all right but going back to human, she took a detour." Graeme shrugged. "Tish helped her out, but for whatever reason, Winnie's stuck with them for the duration. Fortunately, she fits right in at the Rockaway ."

Lucy was speechless at this statement, but before she could reply, Lexington came up the stairwell with Winnie wrapped around his arm. They were both laughing at something and when they caught sight of Graeme and Lucy looking at them, they laughed even harder.

Graeme cocked his head at them. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," Winnie tittered as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Just a cheap giggle between friends." She slapped Lexington playfully on the arm. "You're so bad, telling me things like that!"

Lexington winked at her before stepping out on the roof. "Well, you did ask."

"So I did." Winnie stopped at the doorway. "You need to drop by more often, Lex – I miss your jokes!" she called out as the three gargoyles hopped up on the roof's edge. "Come back soon!"

o o o O O O O o o o

To get the newcomers adjusted to their new environment, Goliath and Brooklyn divided the younger gargoyles and took them out to do sweeps of Manhattan. Goliath and Broadway took Happa, Li Kao, Yong, Mawson and Dodger with them to cover the west side. Brooklyn and Sata took Ariana, Midori, Kwan Lin, Jin-ho, Kirima, and Scylla with them to cover the east side. Owen had appeared just as Alex was preparing to suit up and determined that the teenaged boy was too sleepy to operate a flight suit. Alex protested loudly as Owen escorted him away but everyone could tell it was all for show.

Although New York City was reputed to be 'The City That Never Sleeps,' it did slow down in the wee hours of the morning. Dodger and the Ishimurans took the tour with ease but the others were less enthusiastic. As they all met up over Central Park and sailed back towards the Eyrie Building, Ariana couldn't help but worry over the group's dynamics. Kirima and Mawson had a slight advantage in that they had spent several weeks in London acclimatizing to urban life but the Koreans and the Chinese remained cautious. Scylla remained a mystery; she was eagerly taking in all the sights but still she remained quiet and reserved. Even her method of flight was curious – her snake-like lower body actually flattened out while she was gliding, giving her extra lift in the air.

As they approached the castle, they could see Nudnik running back and forth along the parapets. He wasn't howling but he was clearly excited about something.

"What is the matter with your beast?" the Chinese female, Kwan Lin called out as they began to circle in.

"That's Nudnik," Ariana called back. "He's probably waiting for Graeme – Nudnik always fusses when my brother leaves him behind."

"They… are bonded?"

"Graeme raised Nudnik from a pup, if that's what you mean."

Just as they began to glide in for a landing, angry voices rose on the wind.

"—and erasing your scent! How many times must I say how that offends me?"

"You know, Red Wind, at this point, I just don't care."

"I can smell it on your breath – you've been to that place again." There was an audible pause. "You've been dallying with that freakish wench again!"

"At least she's nice to me – maybe you should take lessons from her."

The sound of their talons clicking on the hard stones and the loud swoosh of their wings drowned out the argument for a few moments. Nudnik bounded up to Ariana and whined, butting his broad head up against her.

"Yeah, I know, Nuddy-wuddy," Ariana said as she scratched his ears. "Somebody forgot to take you along, yes, he d---"

_"Ni juede wo hen ben ma?"_ Red Wind shouted angrily.

"No," Lexington snapped as the younger gargoyles peered cautiously over the wall at them. He and Red Wind were a level down in one of the smaller courtyards and their voices echoed off the rough castle stones. "I never said you were an idiot. This has nothing to do with you – I was sent out to retrieve Graeme and Lucy. Why do you think that just because I go out and have a few drinks that it has something to do with you?"

Red Wind glared at him and growled something in Chinese that Ariana didn't quite hear. She glanced at Kwan Lin whose eyes were as round as saucers. "What'd she say?" Ariana hissed.

Kwan Lin looked down, biting her lip, but Li Kao answered, "She said that there is no reason for her to expect any consideration from him." He raised his brow ridges as Red Wind continued. "Ah. Some nasty marital comments here -- I don't believe I'll repeat them. Kwan Lin doesn't like that kind of language." He clucked under his tongue. "Not a happy couple, are they?"

"No… not really," Ariana said slowly. It wasn't anything that she hadn't already been aware of but it felt awkward to have her clan's dirty laundry out in front of her guests. "Let's go that way," she said pointing down the parapet, "and let them fight without us."

Nudnik started off in the direction she pointed, stopped to sniff and then gave a happy chortle. He broke into a gallop, leaping out onto a ledge at the far side of the parapet where he began baying at the top of his voice.

"Someone's happy," Kwan Lin said with smile. "That's a recognition call."

"It is?" Ariana asked. "Nudnik makes such a racket all the time that we just assume he's making noise."

"Guardians have their own forms of communications," Kwan Lin said as they went to see what Nudnik was looking at. "My clan specializes in breeding them. I've been studying them as part of my healer apprenticeship. Nudnik is a classic example of the Chinese 'fu-dog' breed but I've never seen anything like Bronx. His bloodline died out long ago."

"Actually, Angela says that there's a female guardian beast on Avalon, a couple of generations down from Bronx."

"Really?" Kwan Lin's eyes lit up but before she could inquire further, Graeme and Lucy came spiraling in from the south. They were laughing as they landed awkwardly with two large insulated cups in their hands.

"Whoops!" Lucy yelped as her drink sloshed over her fingers. She giggled as Graeme swung her around. "Stop it! Stop it! You're making me dizzy!"

Ariana and Dodger exchanged a look and shook their heads at each other. "Well, well," Ariana said loudly, "just where did you two get off too?" She glanced at their cups critically. "You've been to the Last Mug, I see. How's Abe?"

"Abe is fine," Graeme said, releasing Lucy. He reached into his vest and took out a long cookie from a pocket, offering it to Nudnik. "And Abe asked about you, yes, he did!" He gestured, and Nudnik stood on his haunches, front paws up and stubby tail wagging furiously. "Yummy-ummy ginger almond biscotti for Nuddy!" He tossed the treat and Nudnik caught it, crunching it up happily while Kwan Lin watched in open-mouthed horror.

"So," Ariana asked Lucy, "where'd you go?"

"Oh, all over, really!" Lucy said enthusiastically. "We went to Central Park, then a quick whip-around to all the sights, and then we went to the Rockaway." She grinned. "It was such fun!"

"The Rockaway?" Ariana turned back to her brother. "Who was playing?"

"Well, we were too late for the Stumble Bums but we got to hear the Rocket-Propelled Mullets and the Golden Falcons." Graeme grinned. "Then we had some Flaming Pugsleys."

"Aw, man!!" Ariana punched him in the arm, rocking him back on his feet. "That is so not fair!"

"What's all this then?" Dodger sniffed Lucy's breath. "You 'orrible little rotters! You went off on a boozer an' left us here?"

"We went on a date, furball," Graeme said belligerently. "Wanna make something of it?"

Dodger ignored him but examined the drink in her hand, going so far as to open the lid and look at the contents. "Your usual?" he asked gruffly. "Tea, light, two sugars?"

"Yes."

"All right, then – drink it down," he told her. "G'wan, Lu… all of it."

"What's this?" Lucy giggled. "You go off and drinking all the time!"

"Yeah, but you've never had anything stronger than ginger beer in your life." Dodger scowled briefly at Graeme and then lowered his voice. "As your wing second, I'm not gonna have you pukin' your guts up all over New York City."

"Awwww…." Lucy smiled over the rim of her cup. "That's so sweet."

"Yeah, yeah… drink your tea, you lush."

"Let me get this right," Mawson said, "you went to a human place and nothing happened?"

"I wouldn't say that," Graeme said thoughtfully. "We had munchies and drinks—"

"We danced," Lucy giggled, "and I got a makeover." She brandished her new bracelets.

"Winnie?" Ariana asked with raised brows.

"Of course," Graeme replied. "I had a word with Gomez. He says he can reserve the place for us mid-week."

"Band?"

"He's working on it."

"Coolness!"

Dodger rolled his eyes. "I hate it when you two do twinspeak."

"Trust me, guys," Ariana said with a gleam in her eyes, "when we can ditch the adults, we are going to party!"

o o o O O O O o o o

Elisa and Goliath strolled out onto the tower roof arm-in-arm like an old married couple, making idle small talk about nothing and everything. They paused at the roof's edge and watched as their young guests spread out on the parapet below to pick a roosting spot.

"It's quite a crowd," Elisa observed. "Are you having second thoughts about hosting this conference?"

"No, if anything, it reminds me of the old days of Castle Wyvern," Goliath said, breaking into a rare grin, "as it does Hudson. It's cheered him up considerably, having so many new faces in the castle."

"I noticed him holding court by the fire," Elisa said.

"Red Wind tells me that the little female from China is fascinated with Bronx," Goliath said, looking over the edge where Broadway was helping Hudson into place. "It will do my old mentor good to answer her questions."

Elisa watched Happa and Mawson vie for the right to roost next to Ariana and laughed as Brooklyn stepped in and directed the two young males to their roosts. He and Sata took up the spots immediately next to their daughter. "No guesses on what those guys are interested in," she said. "Brooklyn's going to tear his hair out if Ariana starts dating."

Chuckling with his mate, Goliath nodded. "I don't know about the lad from Antarctica, but I know that Kai is anxious to restore Sata's bloodline to Ishimura. I didn't realize his offspring would be the proper age though."

"Kai?" Elisa made a face. "Are you sure?"

"No, but they have similar features," he answered. "There was a time when I wouldn't have noticed but when I recognized Angela as my own daughter, it changed the way I looked at younger generations."

Elisa wrapped her arms around his bicep. "Hopefully, you'll feel the same way about our baby when it hatches." She and Goliath had taken an unusual route of using a surrogate to have a child but they both considered the purplish egg down in the rookery as theirs.

"Of course, I will, beloved." He caressed her cheek. "I look forward to having hatchlings underfoot again." Giving her one last kiss, he took his place up on his perch. "Elisa," he said as an afterthought, "if you can, try to contact New Olympus and see what Taurus has to say about our young guest."

"You suspect something?"

"The New Olympians are a strange lot." Goliath looked towards the eastern skyline and unfurled his wings. "Everyone else arrived in the open. Scylla arrived in secret. I can't help thinking that there's something she's not telling us."

"That's true," Elisa agreed. "She was a little uneasy around me but I blame that on the whole 'evil human' thing. I'll see what I can dig up."

At that moment, the sun came up and Goliath's lavender hide turned to grey textured stone. Elisa patted him on the leg. "Sleep tight, sweetheart."

By the time Elisa reached the bottom of the tower, the eastward-facing stonework was tinted pink in the early dawn's light. Red Wind had moved away from Lexington to a roost next to her Chinese kinsmen. Elisa shook her head. She'd come in on the tail end of Red Wind's fight with Lexington and if they'd been a human couple, she would have run them in on a domestic disturbance and called Family Services. Unfortunately, as gargoyles, they didn't have that option. The best the clan could do was to separate the mismatched couple and hope for a non-violent state of détente until the next squabble.

She continued down the line, following the Chinese gargoyles to the Koreans and then to the Japanese. The Asian clans had formed their own sub-group upon arrival but plans were underway to separate them up. Goliath had big hopes for this young group of up-and-coming warriors in breaking the isolationism that threatened each clan's development. She was strolling by Ariana's friend Midori when she realized that she was stepping into a block of sunshine and not a gargoyle's shadow.

There was a gap on the wall between Midori and that tusked male from Antarctica.

Cautiously, Elisa drew her gun. With a clear view of the parapet in both directions, she tallied up gargoyles. The resident clan was all accounted for and the guests quickly paired up – except for one.

Movement out of the corner of her eye drew Elisa to a nearby archway. It led to one of the smaller courtyards that Hudson occasionally roosted in when his knees wouldn't let him make the jump to his perch. A few fallen leaves whirled against the stones of the walkway, a dead giveaway that someone or something had just passed by.

Following the motion, Elisa pivoted and looked down the barrel of her gun at Scylla. "How come you aren't in stone sleep like the others?"

Coiling up even tighter, Scylla appeared to shrink in upon herself as she replied, "I can't."

"Come again?"

"Taurus said that you could be trusted with secrets." She glanced at Elisa nervously. "Can you?"

"Of course I can," Elisa said firmly, holstering her weapon. "I kept Goliath's clan a secret for years and I haven't said word one about New Olympus." She took a step closer.

"Good," Scylla said, her eyes taking on a bright metallic sheen as she slithered into the sun. "Then you won't say anything about this either."

o o o O O O O o o o

Blinking furiously, Elisa shaded her eyes against the morning sun. She felt strangely disoriented – she remembered kissing Goliath before he turned to stone and then coming out of the tower to check on the new arrivals. To see so many gargoyles lining the parapet wall made Elisa feel like she'd stepped back in time to the old days of Castle Wyvern. There was a gap between the male from Antarctica and the female from Ishimura. Elisa found herself staring at it and frowning.

"I've got to be working too hard," she said finally and went inside.

Scales hissed in the shadows.

_**To be continued in Part V…**_


	5. Junior Gargs on Patrol

**When Graeme Met Lucy…**

A TGS-based story

By C.S. Hayden

Characters from the "Gargoyles" show are the property of Disney and Buena Vista Television. Happa is borrowed with permission from the fanfics of Kimberly T. All other characters are from The Gargoyles Saga fanfiction series.

**Part V **

**New Olympus**

"Where is she?"

The strident words echoed off the stone aerie carved into the side of Mount Thanatos. Frozen in stone sleep, the resident gargoyles looked on with unseeing eyes. The intruders were careful not to disturb them; it was tempting but if they left any trace of their passing, reprisals would follow.

"Well?" She coiled up in an imperious pose. "You've had more than enough time to check all the chambers and the outer circle."

"Milady, all the gargoyles are accounted for," an armored male reported. "We found her quarters but there is no sign of her." He licked his lips nervously. "It seemed to me that she may have left on her own."

"Why do you say that?"

"Everything was neat and in order, but when I opened the clothes press, there were garments lying on the floor as though someone packed in a hurry and her armor was missing. She's well known for wearing it so wherever it is, she is."

"Yesssss," she said, letting the word out in a sibilant hiss. "What you say has merit." She glided out to the parapets where the sun warmed slumbering stone figures, pausing for a moment to stare out over the island. "Icarus received a transmission, did he not, from that foreign gargoyle that came here?"

"Yes, milady."

"Find out if anyone took out one of the long-distance vehicles." Her eyes narrowed to tiny slits. "And contact that outlander that was our guest a few years back. He owes me a favor."

o o o o O O O O o o o o

**Manhattan 2010**

Yawning, Alex scratched himself as he stumbled through the east wing still wearing the t-shirt and pants that he had fallen asleep in. Since he had been at the gargoyle's meeting late last night, he had woke up in one of the rooms in their part of the castle. He didn't miss sleeping in his own bed – anything that meant being far, far away from his father was a good thing these days. Unfortunately, his stomach woke him up in the middle of the afternoon, complaining loudly about missed meals. He was on his way to Broadway's kitchen for a snack when something made him stop in his tracks. Ariana's door was ajar.

It wasn't the cleaning staff; they used a strong disinfectant that left a pine-fresh vapor trail in their wake. Alex sidled up to her room and looked around the edge of the doorway as he pushed the door open a little further.

The last time he had been in Ariana's room, the walls had been covered in anime and J-pop posters but it would seem that she had recently given it a complete makeover. The walls were a soft glowing cream with a Japanese kanji pattern in a golden brown and the woodwork had been painted gloss black to simulate lacquer ware. Her platform bed had a new brocade cover, mounds of bright satin pillows, and her childhood kimono was mounted on the wall above it. Bamboo shades filtered the light into the room and rice paper shoji screens hid the corner where Ariana had her sewing studio set up. His eyes were just passing over it when a shadow flickered behind the screen.

Letting his power surge down into his fist to form a glowing fireball of energy, Alex crept cautiously into the room. As he edged around the screen, he was relieved to see at least one part of Ariana's room reflected her true personality. She had learned to sew, not so much for necessity as it was for her secret hobby – Ariana loved to cosplay and frequently went to conventions within flying distance. Fabric in a rainbow of colors filled plastic bins stacked against the wall. Her cutting table was wedged between the wall and her sewing console and a portable rack of clothes in various stages of production was shoved to one side. There was a feathered blanket lying over a serpent skin beanbag chair in the corner. Alex supposed it was another costume in progress – until the tip of a tail flicked out and the chair uncoiled slightly, scales hissing whisper soft against each other.

Alex crouched down and reached out gingerly to lift the feathers out of the way. It was the late arrival from the night before – he dimly remembered her coming in with the others before he conked out. She looked almost angelic, sleeping in the nest of her coils with her head cradled in her arms. He leaned in to examine her closer.

Her eyes flicked open.

"Yowtch!" Alex fell back hard on his butt.

The end of her tail shook like a rattlesnake and her diamond-shaped pupils began to glow. "You did not see me!"

Alex got up on his haunches and balanced on the balls of his feet. "Say what?"

She leaned towards him. "You will go away now!"

"Why would I want to do that? This is MY house!" Alex blinked. On reflex he had put up a magical shield so he was seeing everything through a pale green haze but it seemed as if her eyes were beginning to oscillate. The pupils and the irises seemed to swell and contract in a hypnotic pattern.

She rose up slightly so she was taller than him and the quills on her head rattled. "You did NOT see me and you **WILL** go away **NOW****!**

"'And these are not the droids you are looking for,'" Alex said sarcastically, not about to be intimidated in his own home. "Whatever you're trying to do, it's not working. You ought to quit while you can."

Her brow crinkled. "But it always works!"

"On other people, maybe, but not on me." He shrugged. "I'm Alex Xanatos, and you're…" His eyes widened and he pointed without really thinking. "…you're naked."

"Pervert!" Her tail shot out and slapped him head over heels halfway across the room, knocking over the screen and the rack of clothes in the process. She reached out and snatched up a garment, slithering into it as Alex counted his teeth and waited for the room to stop spinning.

"Hey! What's your problem?" he protested once he was able to sit up. "You're the one sleeping in the buff, not me!"

"Have you ever slept in armor?" she snapped back, trying to tug a blue dress in place. "It's very uncomfortable." Ariana was a little smaller, especially around the chest and hips, and the New Olympian was finding the fit a bit snug. She was just lucky that the dress flared out or she'd look like a baby blue sausage.

Alex began to snicker. He couldn't help himself.

"What do you think doing, human?" She sniffed indignantly. "This is NOT funny!"

"Oh, yeah… it is."

Lashing her tail around her into a tight coil, she made a valiant attempt to sulk. It was a good effort considering that her lips were almost non-existent and barely made a bump of a pout. Alex felt a little sorry for her.

"Look, let's try again." He put on his most winning smile as he stood up. "I'm Alex and you are -?"

"Scylla." Her lip twisted. "From New Olympus."

"Really?" He raised both eyebrows. "That explains everything."

"It… does?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "Explain."

Alex stepped closer. "New Olympus was colonized by the Third Race. My grandmother is Titania, the queen of Avalon. I've got just enough fae in me that your hypno-eye thingie didn't work and you're – you're what exactly?" He walked around her. "You're not a gargoyle but you've passed yourself off as one. Why?"

"Do you always ask so many questions?"

"Only until I get what I want." Alex faced her and crossed his arms. "I remember just enough about last night that you were telling everyone that you were here to represent the New Olympus clan. Instead of being out with the others on the castle wall, you were hiding in here where no one would be likely to find you. You're afraid of them finding out."

"It's my secret."

"And I can keep secrets." He held his hands out and filled them with green light that wound around his arms like vines. "I'm the only kid in my school that can do anything like this and I have to keep it a secret all the time. You have no idea how tempting it can be to want to get back at some jerk who's just pulled a prank or made fun of me. I have to control my power because if I don't keep it secret and I don't keep it under control, terrible things can happen."

Scylla stared at him unblinkingly for a few moments before looking away. "You say you know about New Olympus?"

"Yeah, Grandmother said that when humans chased the ancient Olympians off the mainland, they settled on New Olympus and isolated it from the world. I know what Goliath, Elisa, and Angela had to say about it after they visited it too."

"Then you know that our people resemble mythological creatures." When Alex nodded, she continued. "My mother was a harpy and my father was a naga." She paused, taking a breath to steady herself. "Half-breeds are not uncommon on New Olympus but the nagas have never allowed them. When they found out about me—" she took a deep breath and looked away, "they tried to kill me."

"That's harsh," Alex said. "What happened?"

"Father refused to abandon me and my mother so he chose to leave the caverns but the nagas wouldn't accept my father's decision. Boreas – that's the leader of our government - intervened, saying that under the laws of New Olympus, my father and I could live under another clan's protection. That's when Icarus stepped in – the gargoyles had lost their daytime protector and they offered the position to my father."

"So, part of what you told everyone was true – technically, you are a member of the clan."

"Yes."

"So why not tell them? Why the disguise?"

"It's better if everyone thinks I'm a gargoyle. It'll be safer for all concerned." She glared at him. "That's all I can say – don't ask me any more!"

"Oh-kay." Her tail tip was whipping back and forth like a metronome so Alex chose to back off for the moment. "You know, it was probably okay for today but you can't keep camping out in Ariana's room. If your scent gets too strong in here, she'll know something's up." He cocked his head towards the door. "There are plenty of empty guest rooms down the hall. No one will ever know you're there."

Scylla narrowed her eyes. "Why are you helping me?"

"One good turn deserves another." He knew how to smile at girls, even if they were half-snake with wings. "I don't know if you've noticed, but you and I are the odd ones out at this thing. I'm going to need a partner to do patrols with and so will you. The others are already pairing off and I doubt anyone will be happy teaming up with either of us."

"You have a point." She sighed in a soft hiss. "I didn't make a good start, arriving late as I did. I was very uncomfortable around the others and I could tell they felt the same about me."

"So I'll keep your secret," Alex said, "and you'll be my partner. We're both likely to be up and about long before the gargoyles wake up anyway so it'll work."

Scylla regarded him solemnly before nodding. "Very well, I agree."

"Great!" Alex grinned and rubbed his hands. "Let's do lunch!"

o o o O O O O o o o

As the assembled gargoyles were finishing their early evening meal, Goliath stood up to address them. "Tonight your training begins in earnest," he said. "We will be breaking you up into teams to go out on patrol with an adult warrior." When everyone began edging towards their rookery mate, he held up his hand. "When I said we'd be breaking you up, I meant it in more ways than one. You are here to experience new things and the first one is you will learn to work with a new partner."

"You mean I got all dressed up for nothing?'" Dodger complained. He and Lucy were wearing the urban patrol uniforms of the London clan – matching Kevlar chestplates embossed with the Union Jack and dark blue clothing.

"Not at all," Goliath continued, "but it's important that our clans start interacting and it will begin with you." He beckoned to Lexington, who was sitting to his right with his laptop computer. "Lexington will now give out your assignments."

The short web-winged gargoyle stood up. "When I call your name, please report to your wingleader." He glanced at the screen. "Happa and Kirima," Lex announced, "will be going with Goliath."

"We'll be meeting Detective Elisa Maza at the 23rd precinct so you can observe human law enforcement at work." Goliath smiled. "She is looking forward to working with you."

"Dodger and Jin-ho will be patrolling Chinatown and Little Tokyo with Sata."

"Yummo," Dodger said as he got up from the table. "Chop suey an' egg rolls, here I come!"

"Li Kao and Midori," Lex nodded towards them, "you'll be coming with me." He glanced back at the screen and frowned. "Uh-oh, I forgot to add Scylla to the roster, Goliath. She turned up after I sorted out the pairings."

"If Scylla doesn't mind," Alex piped up, "I'll volunteer to be her partner." The red-headed teenager was standing to one side while Owen adjusted the flight suit that Alex wore under his Steel Clan armor. "That makes another team, right?"

"Scylla?" Goliath asked. "I know some New Olympians have prejudices against humans. Are you willing to overcome them to work with Alex?"

Pausing in the act of donning her helmet, Scylla regarded him coolly. "One of my tasks while I am here is to observe human behavior." She sniffed. "He is only a half-grown specimen but I shall have to start somewhere. I have no objections."

"See?" Alex smiled brightly. "Problem solved."

Graeme leaned towards Ariana. "I hate it when he smiles like that. It always means he's up to something."

"Yeah, and the scary thing is that you don't know if he's taking after his mom or his dad when he's doing it."

"Or both."

"Yikes."

"All right then," Lex said, "Alex and Scylla will go with Angela." He typed that data in on his keyboard. "Ariana and Mawson, you'll be going with Brooklyn."

"Oh, great," Ariana said, rolling her eyes. "My first date and Dad's going along for the ride." She couldn't help smiling when Mawson winked at her as he got up from the table.

"Cheeky devil." Lucy giggled. "Cheer up, Brooklyn can't be with you every minute, can he?"

"Trust me, he's going to try." Graeme shrugged and turned his attention to the white lioness sitting across from him. Lucy was wearing a similar Kevlar vest over the one piece patrol outfit commonly worn by females of the London Clan. He was admiring the delicate beige spots dappling her shoulders and almost missed Lexington's next announcement.

"Lucy and Yong will go with Broadway."

"Hey!" Graeme called out. "What's the big idea?" He had expected to be teamed with Lucy and so had she by the look on her face. "Lucy and I are supposed to be together!"

"Maybe," said Brooklyn, "but not after that stunt you pulled last night. Sata and I agreed with Goliath that you shouldn't have just taken off without telling anyone. You know better than that."

"But Da-a-ad," Graeme lowered his voice, "I had _plans_ with Lucy." He met Brooklyn's eyes in hopes of male solidarity but his father wasn't having any of it.

"Uh-huh, I know what you had in mind but rules are rules."

"We have decided that you will share castle duty with Red Wind," Goliath said as he came up behind Brooklyn, "and in addition, you will help set up a lab for Kwan Lin to use." He gestured to the young Chinese female hovering nearby. "She has asked to make a study of Bronx for their beast-breeding program. Since you have a beast yourself, you can assist her."

Graeme opened his beak to protest and then thought better of it. He had screwed up, he knew it, they knew it, and whining about it would only prolong the agony. "All right," he sighed. "I'll see to it."

"Good lad." Goliath clapped his hand on Graeme's shoulder, staggering the younger gargoyle. He gestured to Happa and Kirima. "Come along now, Elisa will be waiting."

Brooklyn followed them, carefully positioning himself between Mawson and Ariana. Sata had already slipped out with Dodger and Jin-ho so at least Graeme wouldn't have to face her disapproval. One stern look from her was always worse than any amount of yelling from his father. Alex was leading Angela and Scylla off to the hanger where the Steel Clan armor was stored and Lex and his group was heading in the same direction, probably to double-check Alex's armor before he took off.

"Graeme?"

He turned and almost bumped his beak into Lucy's muzzle. "Oh, hi…. Look, Lucy, I'm really sorry about this—"

"I know," she said, "It's my fault too. I should be sharing the punishment."

"No, Goliath's right. You're a guest. I knew the rules and I broke them."

"Oh, Graeme." Lucy stretched her arms to give him a big hug.

At that moment, it felt as if all the eyes in the castle were focused on the two of them and in a sense of overwhelming panic, Graeme held up his hands to ward her off. She looked at him with great hurt eyes. "It's really okay, Lu-_chan_," he said in an embarrassed rush. "Just go ahead and we'll get together later, all right?"

"But, Graeme—?" Her bottom lip twisted. "What's wrong? Why are you acting this way?"

"Please, just go." He backed up, turning his head away from her and putting his hands on his hips.

"Right, whatever." Lucy pulled away and stalked after the others heading out to the parapet.

"Great," Graeme muttered. "I've really screwed up now."

o o o O O O O o o o

"Interesting place, your city," Mawson said as they headed east from the Eyrie Building. "Even after London, I don't think I've never seen so many humans in one place." He laughed. "They remind me of penguins."

"Penguins?" Ariana grinned. "What do you mean?"

"When you fly over a colony, they're loud, smelly, and milling around looking at their feet." He winked. "But humans don't taste like fish."

Before Ariana could respond to that, Brooklyn sailed back between them and broke into the conversation. "So your clan hunts penguins, then? I expect they make a good food source."

"Not so much," Mawson replied. "We tried domesticating them, way back when the ancestors came to Antarctica but it was too much trouble. We do an egg cull once a season but the meat is an acquired taste." He wrinkled his broad nose. "Very oily."

"How do you survive there?"

"By cheating, of course!" He laughed again, a rich dark chocolate chuckle that made Ariana's toes curl. "Merlin brought most of the Thirteen Treasures of Britain with him when he first moved in and one of them was the Hamper of Gwyddno Long Shanks. Whatever food you put into it gets multipled a hundredfold."

"And it still works after all those centuries?"

"It has its ups and downs. You see, the ley lines don't remain constant – they shift with the magnetic field. That's why the ancestors started farming in some of the warmer caves, particularly around Mt. Erebus."

"Why there?"

"Well, it is the southernmost active volcano in the world, or so I'm told. Some smart old codger came up with the idea to carve out an ice dome so plants can get some light. We supplement the soil with guano and kitchen wastes so it's very good for growing things in."

Exasperated by her father monopolizing the conversation, Ariana attempted to change the topic. "Do you like sports, Mawson?" She pointed towards Queens. "There's a great baseball stadium over that way."

"Baseball?" He crinkled his brow ridges. "I've heard of it but never actually played it. Is it any fun?"

"Beats watching penguins." Ariana winked at him and she was delighted to see him wink back. Maybe Midori had the right idea – spending a little one-on-one time with Mawson could be lots of fun. She began to think of ways to conveniently ditch her father. Surely there was something that could occupy Brooklyn long enough so that she and Mawson could get better acquainted.

"What do you think, Dad?" she called out. "Do you suppose we could talk Goliath into letting us catch a night game? Graeme and Happa will want to go and the others might be interested too."

"Well...," Brooklyn said as he appeared to consider the idea, "I suppose it's probably safe enough. You and Graeme have sneaked out to plenty of games and managed to keep out of trouble."

"Dad!"

Brooklyn winked at her. "You can blame Broadway – he saw you two heading out to the stadium and tailed you a few times to make sure you guys were okay." He shrugged. "When my brothers and I were your age, we were out and about all the time."

"You knew?" Ariana said. "Gee, we thought Mom would throw a fit if she ever found out."

"Eh, I talked her out of locking you both in the tower."

Mawson snorted. "I take it Lady Sata is the overprotective sort?"

"Something like that."

"Can't say that I blame her," Mawson said. "Our rookeries are in the most secure parts of the caverns and it's years before hatchlings ever get to go outside. Even then, we have to acclimatize them gradually and make damned sure that they know their survival skills. The Great White is an unforgiving mistress and if you don't respect her, she'll take you in a heartbeat."

Ariana blinked. "Whoa."

"Sort of makes me wonder why humans would even go there," Mawson continued. "We gargoyles adapted quickly but a human out on the ice is taking his life in his hands."

"Maybe that's the point," Brooklyn said. "Sometimes life is a challenge. It doesn't matter if you're a gargoyle or a human, you just don't feel alive unless you're facing the unknown."

"Yeah, pushing the envelope!" Ariana looped around, nearly missing Mawson on the down swing. "Whoops!"

"No worries!" He laughed. "I'm a bit of a daredevil myself."

As they grinned at each other, neither of them noticed the low, rumbling growl from the red gargoyle keeping them both firmly in his sights.

o o o O O O O o o o

Broadway led them along the southern edge of Central Park. Lucy gave one last wistful glance back at the Eyrie Building and sighed. She wasn't sure why Graeme was acting so odd but she had fully expected to be partnered with him, not Yong. She glanced at the enormous Korean sailing next to her. He was carrying Nudnik and Broadway was carrying Bronx. Part of their patrol was letting the gargoyle beasts roam the park while they patrolled the perimeter.

"Beasts away!" Broadway swooped down and dropped the older beast at a safe distance from the ground. Yong followed suit and Nudnik nearly knocked him off course in his enthusiasm to get down. Both beasts rolled and snuffled in the grass before bounding away on some scent.

"Will they be all right here?" Yong asked. "Shouldn't we stay to look after them?"

"Naw, they'll be fine," Broadway answered with a laugh. "Graeme programmed a microchip that lets Nudnik into the freight elevator and takes them straight up to the castle. They'll check out all the nooks and crannies in the park and then they'll go back home on their own. Muggings went way down when Hudson started letting the beasts patrol Central Park."

"That is your elder? The old one by the fire?"

Broadway nodded. "Yeah, he was the leader before Goliath. His eyes aren't so good these days so I take Bronx out for him. Hudson is really happy that you kids are visiting. He remembers when our clan was a lot bigger."

"Yes," Yong said as he shifted to catch a thermal rising from the street. "We heard the story of the Vikings and the Magus' curse from the Chinese clan." He smiled shyly. "New stories go through our clan like wildfire."

"Guess that's something we all have in common then," Broadway said. "I hear that the London clan puts on plays, isn't that right, Lucy?"

She didn't hear him. At that moment, she had caught sight of Belvedere Castle and all she could think about was the romantic kiss that she and Graeme had shared there.

"Lucy?" Broadway barrel-rolled over and touched her on the arm. He was remarkably agile in the air for such a bulky male. "I'll bet Graeme took you here, didn't he?"

"Well, yes." She was grateful no one could see the blush under her fur.

Chuckling, Broadway said, "That doesn't surprise me. Graeme was always saying, 'I'll bet Lucy would love to see this' or 'I'll take her there' whenever we were out on a quiet patrol. It used to drive us crazy!"

"Yeah?"

"I'll bet he had big plans for tonight too."

She sniffed. "You wouldn't know it by the way he acted."

"Graeme hates being the center of attention, especially when he's getting called out for messing up. He needs a little space at times like that." Broadway shrugged. "He'll be back to his old self when we get back, you'll see.

"You think so?"

"Goliath isn't completely heartless. I drew the short rotation so we'll be back at the castle in an hour or so." He chuckled. "So cheer up! It'll make the time go faster."

Broadway's good humor began to lift Lucy's spirits. He was right; being miserable would only make time drag on. "How are patrols here?" Lucy asked. "We still get Minion outbreaks from time to time. Weller thinks that they're breeding now."

"'Minions?'" Broadway's forehead creased for a moment and then smoothed out. "Oh, yeah... those were the Unseelie halflings that turned up in London. They were different from the ones that we got here."

"'Unseelie halflings?'" Yong said. "What are those?"

"Over ten years ago," Broadway said, "a bunch of rejects from Avalon decided to come out of hiding and challenge Oberon for control of the Third Race. They started causing trouble and we found out about it. One of the things that they did was to alter humans with fae DNA. They called themselves the Halflings – they were stronger and faster than ordinary humans and each of them could manifest some kind of magic."

"They did the same thing in London," Lucy said, "but they used homeless street people and something went horribly wrong. Most of them can't bear the light so they went underground and only come out at night. They're very unpredictable – we can go weeks without a sighting and then suddenly they're everywhere like cockroaches."

"Heh, cockroaches – I like that." Broadway chuckled. "We didn't have that many here in New York but what we did get was bad enough." He shifted to glide over one of the routes through the park and the younger gargoyle altered their flights to follow him. "I think we'll have our hands full with the regular lowlifes. There's more tourists in town than just you kids and there's always going to be someone to take advantage of that." He nodded at the ground. "Case in point: look down there."

A young couple was strolling up to a carriage stop, oblivious to everything but each other but what they couldn't see were the two thugs trailing them. One was paralleling them from the cover of a hedge wall; the other was ambling behind a few steps back.

"Lucy, Yong, time to go to work." Broadway grinned. "Bonus points if you do it and the lovebirds aren't the wiser."

Eagerly, Lucy tucked her wings into a dive. She was in the mood to bust some heads and these muggers would do nicely until she could get Graeme all to herself.

o o o O O O O o o o

Spiraling over Chinatown, Sata suddenly back-winged and hovered in mid-air. "Ah, see there?" she said, pointing down at a red cloth draped over the top of a potted tree in a tiny courtyard. "I know the herbalist that lives there. He gives us information from time to time and that is his signal that he has something. I will go down and speak with him."

"Shall we go with you, Lady Sata?" Jin-ho asked in her bell-like voice.

"No, too many of us will attract attention and I do not want to cause trouble for him." Sata pursed her lips and looked around. "There," she gestured to an aging hotel across the street, "you two keep watch over there. I will only be a few minutes."

While Sata glided down into the alley behind the herbalist's house, Dodger and Jin-ho took up their positions on top of the five-story building. Nervous birds stirred in a rickety pigeon coop as Jin-ho approached them for a closer look. The tip of her tongue ran across her upper lip as she leaned in, eyes intent on the inhabitants of the cage.

Dodger watched her as he took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. "I wouldn't if I were you. Those are somebody's pets, those are. An' even if they weren't, city pigeons taste nasty. There's no tellin' what they've been eatin.'"

"Ah." She wrinkled her nose. "An excellent point."

"So," Dodger asked as he lit up his cigarette, "fancy a smoke?"

"No, thank you," Jin-ho said, giving a polite shrug. "Please go ahead and enjoy yourself."

"Thanks." Dodger took a long drag and blew it out. "That friggin' butler caught me lightin' up out on th' parapets an' I've been dyin' for a nicky fit all night."

The little Korean gargoyle blinked. "'Nicky fit?'"

"Nicotine, you know, the lovely addictive stuff that th' tobacco companies use to hook you." He laughed. "I really ought to quit – Lord knows I get told that often enough."

The corners of her mouth quirked up. "And who tells you? You have a sweetheart?"

"Not so much," Dodger said. "Just one o' my rookery sisters who likes to boss everyone around." He shrugged. "She an' I have been scrappin' for years – you know how it is."

"Ah, that is true." She gave him her first genuine smile. "Many of my rookery mates have their favorites. Yong and I are at opposite ends – I am the smallest of females and he is the largest of males. We were picked for this because we are expendable."

Her candid words made Dodger cough and splutter. "What's that? Expendable?"

"Perhaps I used the wrong word. What I meant was that it was only logical – neither of us is being courted and we are unsuitable for each other. The elders chose wisely."

"That's bloody cold, that is."

"Perhaps." The serene expression never left her face but there was the faintest trace of a frown. "Ariana explained why Lucy is here – what about you? How were you chosen?"

"Easy, I'm her second."

Jin-ho raised her brow ridges. "Females lead in your clan?"

"Anyone can lead in our clan," Dodger answered, "so long as they're able for th' job an' willin' to do it. When our rookery started trainin' for patrol duty, Lucy was picked as wingleader an' she picked me as her second. It's th' way we've always been."

"I do not understand," she said. "How is it that Lucy favors Graeme over you? Does it not bother you that she chose another?"

"Oh, I had a crush on Lucy for ages but the first time that Graeme came to London for a visit an' I got to see how they were together, well…." Dodger huffed and blew out a long puff of smoke. "Me feelin's were hurt, make no mistake, but I got over it. I figure they're lucky to have found each other an' someday my luck'll turn too."

"Ah." She nodded. "You are an optimist."

"Always look on th' bright side of life, that's what th' Python boys say," Dodger said as he took one last drag and snuffed the cigarette out against the wall. "Here comes Lady Sata an' she's in a hurry."

They both leaned over the building's edge to watch Sata rising up the thermals towards them. She soared up and landed like a dancer. "Miyagi-_san_ reports that there's a new branch of Yakuza setting up shop in Manhattan."

"Yukuza?" Jin-ho was instantly alert. "The Japanese crime organization?"

Sata arched one brow ridge. "You know of them?"

"Yes, they have involved themselves with the Korean black markets, mostly weapons smuggling and drugs." Jin-ho frowned, crinkling her tri-horned forehead. "My clan is dedicated to seeking justice and those few humans that we deal with have had their livelihoods threatened by the Yakuza in the past. Very bad – I had not thought to find them here."

"Unfortunately, criminals, like cockroaches, go everywhere. They've already crossed the local Triads and the merchants in the area are getting nervous."

"So what now?" Dodger said, cocking his head. "Are we gonna poke around for them? See what we can turn up?"

"We will finish our patrol for now," Sata said as she stepped up on the edge of the roof. "Goliath will need to be informed and I should contact Sharon Nomura who lives with the Labyrinth clan beneath the city. She spent some time undercover with the Yakuza before she became a mutate and she'll need to be careful." She scanned the surrounding neighborhood carefully. "I'm quite sure they haven't forgotten her."

o o o O O O O o o o

"What exactly will ye be doin' t' Bronx, lass?" Hudson asked as he limped along the corridor. He seldom left the castle proper these days so it was a rare occasion to see the old gargoyles down in the Eyrie building. Bronx, who had returned with Nudnik minutes earlier, was keeping pace with him and gently nudging him when Hudson seemed to falter.

Kwan Lin bowed slightly. "Most honored elder," she said, "my clan has a tradition of raising guardian beasts. We have studied them for generations and only recently we have begun collecting genetic material from other clans. I will begin by weighing and measuring your beasts3 and then I will do some physical tests."

Graeme led them to an empty laboratory in Xanatos' bioscience division. "This lab has been gargoyle-proofed just for us." He laughed at Kwan Lin's expression. "We used to break the standard medical equipment – let's face it, we're bigger, stronger, and heavier. The Xanatech scientists finally dedicated a few labs just for us."

As the lights came on, Kwan Lin gasped and Graeme was hard-pressed to hide his smirk. After all, he and Lexington had helped the Xanatech bioscience nerds design most of the equipment from the exam table that was a cross between a medical bed and a hydraulic car lift to the gargoyle accessible computer station. Everything was built to study a species that was stronger and heavier than the average human and the design was being copied by other gargoyle research facilities around the world.

"So...," Graeme drawled out, "will it do?"

The Chinese gargoyle with the gazelle-like horns walked through the room in a dream-like trance, touching things lightly and smiling to herself. "It is perfect," she said at last. "We have modified human equipment back home but nothing like this."

Bronx crooned and leaned up against Hudson's leg. Nudnik peered in curiously from the door but his feet remained firmly planted in the hallway.

"Come along, ye daft beasties," Hudson said as he commandeered a rolling stool for himself. "I dinnae like this room anymore than ye do." He glowered at the exam table. "If that young doctor with th' funny accent finds me down here, I'll get poked and prodded again."

"Oh?" Kwan Lin raised a brow at Graeme.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, c'mon now – Dr. Blackwell's not so bad. He'd probably treat you to a beer when he's done." Leaning in towards Kwan Lin, he said very quietly, "Hudson had a mild stroke last year. Dr. Blackwell's a neurologist down from Canada on a research grant and he's been treating him."

"You... allow humans to study you?"

"Yeah, but Xanatos lets us share the information with other clans. He's in negotiations to set up similar facilities for London and Ishimura since their healers have been keeping records for generations." When Graeme saw the disconcerted look on Kwan Lin's face, he was quick to say, "It's been useful – Lex and Red Wind would have never successfully produced an egg without it."

Her cheeks blushed a deep mauve. "You mean, they allowed the humans to ..."

"Oh, the doctors weren't involved with the actual mechanics of the thing." Graeme sheepishly ran his hand along the back of his head. "Lex and Red Wing were picked for each other by the world council so when the breeding moon came around, they didn't react to each other like they would have if they had picked each other in a normal way. The doctors here figured out that they needed to tweak Lex and Red Wing's pheromone scents to a something that would trigger each other's reproductive cycles. Once they did that, everything worked out fine."

"Still," Kwan Lin said, deliberately not looking at the males in the room, "it must have been very embarrassing."

"Yeah, Red Wing's still pretty peeved about it."

"That'll be enow o' that kind of talk," Hudson said with a scowl. "That's their business, nae yuirs or anyone else's." Bronx laid his broad head on the old gargoyle's knee and crooned softly as his ears were rubbed. "Get th' lass set up wi' yon machines, Graeme, an' let's get on with it. Th' beasts will only cooperate fer so long, y'know."

Fortunately, Xanadu was one of the few clans that kept up with modern technology, even if they were wary about humans; Red Wind was perfect proof of that. Graeme only had to set up an account for Kwan Lin on the local server and talk her through some of the software programs on the computer. She had brought several bound books with her and set them out on the table for them to examine.

"These are copies of the breeding charts that we've been working on since the first World Gathering," Kwan Lin said as she opened the first one. The pages inside folded out in sections, revealing complicated graphs and symbols, lines going from one group to another. "Our own charts go back centuries but over time, we added surveys of the Korean and Japanese beasts as well. We track different traits, body types, intelligence, and other features." She opened a second book that contained pictures from ancient drawings to digital photos. "As you can see, although guardian beasts have many similarities, they vary from region to region."

Hudson leaned heavily on Graeme's shoulder as he looked on in fascination. "Och, I wouldna guessed! So many different kinds!"

Nudnik heaved his paws on the table and wuffed at the pictures.

"Yeah, Nuddy, your relatives are all there. Get down now." Graeme laughed as he scratched his pet's large fan-like ears. "We picked him up in China ages ago."

"Yes," Kwan Lin said with a faint smile, "he is a classic fu-dog but it is Bronx that truly interests me. His breed type has never been registered although he has many traits similar to other beasts."

"Is that so?" Hudson looked down at Bronx fondly. "He has been guarding our clan for quite a long time now. I cannae count th' times he's saved us. He is a good an' loyal friend, he is."

"Lucy's clan has three beasts in residence," Graeme said. "One was born in London but the two younger ones were found running in a wild pack on the Yorkshire moors in north England. The locals were calling them 'barghests.'"

"Really?"

"They resemble Bronx a little bit so maybe some of the Scottish beasts made it that far south. Castle Wyvern wasn't the only gargoyle roost that was destroyed in the Dark Ages. The survivors gathered in little clans here and there." Graeme went over to the computer and popped up a map. "See here? There's two clans in Britain, the big group in London and this smaller one up in Scotland's Caledonia Forest. Four of the barghests live there with the Caledonians." He popped up a photo file. "See? Here they are."

"Amazing!" Kwan Lin leaned in towards the screen. "And this picture here? Is Lucy bonded with this beast?"

"Yeah, that's Ranger," Graeme said. "He's mated to Treacle, who belongs to Musgrave, one of Lucy's rookery brothers. You'd like him, he's good with beasts."

"I should like to meet him someday." She sighed and shook her head with a faint smile. "It seems strange to even think such a thing. We never used to think about going past our mountain tops and now here I am."

"You'll get used to it." Graeme grinned back and then looked down at Bronx and Nudnik. "So... where would you like to start?"

Under Kwan Lin's direction, Graeme and occasionally Hudson helped her weigh and measure both Bronx and Nudnik. She measured them from tail to snout, chest width, cranial size, the size and number of their teeth and even the depth of their ears. The curious thing was that while she worked with them, Kwan Lin kept up a low whining croon, not unlike the beasts' own vocalizations. It had a strangely calming effect on them, allowing her to even take samples easily with very little fuss.

"You know," Graeme said as he watched her draw blood from Nudnik's front leg, "the last time Nuddy had to be treated, it took three of us to hold him down while Angela bandaged him up."

"Guardian beasts react to the emotions of their keepers," Kwan Lin said, keeping her voice soft and low. "They sense that I mean them no harm so they are at ease with me. It's very important to lead by example."

"But you're not the leader of our clan."

"I'm the alpha female in this room," she said as she carefully placed the vial in the rack and swabbed the injection site with antiseptic, rubbing her nose against Nudnik's as if she were a beast herself. "Among themselves, guardians beasts are led by females. If they are the sole beasts in a clan, such as yours are, they will react positively to a female, even if they have already attached themselves to another master."

Graeme looked over at Hudson, who nodded sagely. "Th' lass speaks truly. I remember that my mate could get beasts to do her bidding any time she pleased. I expect that's why Demona has been able t' get into th' castle on occasion, provided she wasn't tryin' to kill us." He rubbed Bronx's broad head. "You've always had a soft spot fer th' ladies, haven't ye?"

"He's only being true to his nature," Kwan Lin said. She held her hand out. "Come along, Bronx. It's your turn now." Her words ended in a gentle croon that Bronx answered with one of his own.

"That sound you're making,"Graeme said, "are you imitating him or do guardian beasts have a language of their own?"

"Some of this and some of that." Kwan Lin went nose-to-nose with Bronx as she had with Nudnik and smiled as he huffed and his breath blew loose hair from her face. "Part of it is our study of them. Certain sounds are associated with certain behaviors. By acting like them, we can communicate on a deeper level."

Red Wind chose that moment to rap her knuckles against the door frame. "A thousand pardons," she said in polite deference to the elder in the room, "but the young ones are returning. We should begin setting up to feed them."

"Och, already?" Hudson rose to his feet, groaning slightly as he did so. Bronx gave a questioning noise from the exam table but the old gargoyle waved him off. "I'm fine, ye big worrier. Stay here until th' lass is finished wi' ye."

"I only need a few more samples," Kwan Lin said with a pleasant smile, "I can manage Bronx by myself, Graeme, if you'd like to join the others."

"For what it's worth," Red Wind said, "Broadway has been back for some time."

"What?" Graeme yelped. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"I was under the impression that you were in disgrace." Red Wind shrugged. "In any case, Broadway put his young ones to work in the kitchens." She turned on one foot and walked away, her long raptor-like toe talons click-clacking on the linoleum.

"I don't know how Lex puts up with her," Graeme grumbled under his breath but Hudson heard him anyway.

"Aye, I wonder that meself at times." Hudson clapped a hand on the younger gargoyle's shoulder. "Come along, lad – take me up to th' castle an' then you can come back down t' wrap up things here. It'll take me forever t' figure out this bloody maze."

With a last minute assurance from Kwan Lin, Graeme led the old gargoyle through the office complex back up to the castle level. The sad fact of it was that although Hudson had had successful surgery on his remaining eye years before, his vision had been growing dimmer with age. Bronx usually guided him around but Hudson felt the need to make some excuse before accepting anyone else's help. They were just coming out of the elevators when they came across Midori and Li Kao. The pink-haired female was giggling and leaning against Li Kao's shoulder.

"Oh, Graeme-_kun_! You must hear the story of Li's friend Ox and the goat! It's too funny!" She smiled fetchingly at Hudson and took his arm. "Hudson-_sama_, I was admiring the tapestries in the Great Hall. I don't suppose you might know anything about them, _ne_?

"That I might, lass," Hudson said, flattered by her attentiveness. "They tell the story of Castle Wyvern back in the day when I was leader."

"Do they? I would just love to hear about them!"

As Midori and Hudson walked away, Li Kao held out his hand to stop Graeme from following and waited until their voices faded away. "Interesting talent she has there. We are fortunate that she chooses to use it for the greater good."

"What's up?"

"What do you know about someone called Thailog?"

Graeme flinched. "He's an evil clone of Goliath. He's given us trouble before but we haven't heard anything about him in years. Why?"

"I have reason to believe that has changed." Li Kao glanced around. "Lexington took us to visit the clan living under the city. Their leader took him aside and they had a long talk about this Thailog person. Then Lady Sata arrived and told them something about the Yakuza. It caused some excitement and one of the mutates, a female like a winged panther became very agitated. Then we returned here and the adults went up in the tower for a meeting."

"Thailog is bad enough but the Yakuza too? That's bad news."

"So Midori told me on the flight back." Li Kao crossed his arms. "What are we walking into, Graeme?"

"Let's go find the others," Graeme said, jerking his head towards the Great Hall. "We need to compare notes before we do anything else."

"Agreed."

o o o O O O O o o o

As luck would have it, finding a place to meet up with the others turned out to be quite easy. Happa and Dodger were talking animatedly with Ariana and Mawson while Jin-Ho and Kirima looked on. Midori caught sight of them as she settled Hudson in his chair and went over to herd the other young gargoyles in their direction. By the time Graeme and Li Kao reached the kitchens, Broadway was just getting off the intercom. "Hey, great timing, Graeme. Would you mind taking over here? Everything's in the warmer and I'm just waiting for the rolls."

"Take them out when the timer goes off?"

"You got it." Broadway hustled out the door. "Be right back!"

"Brains and you cook too," Lucy said as she came back into the kitchen with a tray on her hip. "You're a girl's dream come true." The teasing tone of her voice made him hope that he'd been forgiven for his earlier behavior.

"It's not so much my cooking skills," Graeme said as he lifted a lid on the warming tray and sniffed, "as it is for the fact that Ari burns everything she touches."

"That's not true," Ariana said, scowling at him as she walked in with the others. "I do great sushi and veggies."

"You'll note those are things that don't require cooking."

"Oh, yeah!" Dodger gave a barking laugh. "I remember those charcoal biscuits she sent over for Christmas."

"Hey! Those were chocolate chip!"

"Please tell me Ari's not cooking again," said Alex as he came in with Scylla slithering in behind him. "I chipped a tooth on the last batch she made."

"Oh, come on! They weren't that bad!"

"Okay-okay-okay!" Graeme banged a spoon against a lid. "Settle down – we need to talk. I need everyone to give me a brief report on your patrols tonight."

Ariana raised a brow ridge. "What's up, bro? We had a standard patrol on the east side of the city."

"Ditto for us," Alex said, taking off his helmet liner and running his fingers through his sweaty auburn hair. "It was pretty quiet out there tonight."

"We caught some muggers in the park," Lucy reported. "Why do you ask?"

Graeme waited until he had everyone's attention. "Li Kao just told me that Thailog is back in town and I understand the Yakuza is here too."

"Thailog?"Ariana's eyes flared. "But he's supposed to be dead!"

"Apparently not. The Mutates have reported a sighting of him."

"An' Lady Sata's informant in Chinatown reported th' Yakuza," Dodger said. "Jinny an' I were there when it happened an' we went down to th' Labyrinth to hear about this Thailog bloke too."

"Thailog...," Lucy chewed her lip thoughtfully. "Wasn't he the one that teamed up with Demona and caused that fuss in Paris years ago?"

"He's also the one that created the Clones by sampling our clan's DNA,"Ariana said, "but this was a long time ago, before Dad's time-dancing adventures."

"It sounds to me that you had a more adventurous patrol than we did," Happa said. "We followed Detective Maza around while she was on a case."

Kirima snorted. "Goliath follows her around like a bull seal in heat."

"Kiri..." Mawson said, tilting his head in her direction.

"Well, he does! I thought Aurora had been making it all up until I saw for myself!"

Mawson narrowed his eyes. "What our host does in private is no concern of ours. Leave it there."

"But-!"

A deep growl resonated off the copper pots hanging overhead. The others took a judicious step back from the Antarctic pair. Mawson's expression was mildly disapproving while Kirima's was still defiantly righteous. Ariana reached up and silently took down a skillet, just in case.

"Guys?" Graeme said cautiously, "Broadway really frowns on fighting in his kitchen. Says it spoils the food."

"No worries," Mawson said, not taking his eyes from Kirima. "Our clan still has difficulty being around humans in general. Kiri just forgot her manners for a moment."

"Well, interspecies romance is the least of our worries now," Happa said. "The Yakuza has been around for centuries and the reach of their criminal organization is immense. Yama keeps track of them since we discovered Taro had business with them."

"True," Midori said, having just slipped into the kitchen. "Our clan has learned that while most of the Yakuza's dealings are in Hawaii, they do have some business here in New York."

Happa nodded. "Weapons smuggling, I believe."

"Swell," Graeme said under his breath. He sniffed and checked the rolls in the oven. They weren't quite ready so he shut the oven door. "The adults are probably going to want to keep us as far away from this as possible."

"Screw that," Dodger snorted. "Me an' Lucy have seen our share of action back in London. I'm not backin' off from this just because they think we can't handle it."

"I'm with the scruffy dog," Alex said. "I say let's do it."

"Thailog is not like chasing down a mugger," Ariana said. "He's sneaky and devious and very, very smart. Even though we've haven't seen any activity from him, that doesn't mean he's just been hiding. Thailog is a planner-" Ariana glanced at Alex "- he's a lot like Xanatos in that way."

Crossing her arms, Lucy gave Ariana a bemused look. "What's this? Caution from the Go Girl?"

"Yeah, yeah..." Ariana rolled her eyes. "Graeme had to rub off on me sometime, you know."

"She's right though," Graeme said. "I don't know what kind of opposition that you guys have faced in your home clans but Thailog by himself is bad news. The Yakuza may or may not be connected but it's also something to be taken seriously." He took a deep breath. "There's also the possibility that this might be a test."

"A test?" Yong rumbled. "What do you mean?"

"Ah, yes!" Li Kao nodded. "I see where Graeme is going with this. Think – we were all sent here because of our leadership qualities. What better way to test that than to set up a situation that we must solve?"

Ariana made a face. "I don't know..."

"You say that this Thailog hasn't been seen in what, months?"

"It's been a few years, actually. We weren't there when it happened but they said he was really badly injured." Ariana shrugged. "It would fit his standard MO, coming back from the dead like that. He's done it before."

"We can't afford to second guess ourselves," Graeme said. "If this is a test, we need to determine which is the real threat."

"Let's play it cool for now," Ariana said. "The adults will be coming back down any moment. They'll either involve us in the investigation or they'll try to find things to do to keep us busy. Either way, we'll learn something."

The timer went off and they all flinched at the sound. Graeme grabbed some dish towels and began taking out the rolls. "Ari's got the right idea but for now, we have to wait for just the right moment. It's not our time to act, not yet."

_**To be continued in Part VI…**_


End file.
